Gaining Respect
by Jettara1
Summary: There's few things Dagur hates more than Hiccup's accursed Nightfury but when Alvin the Treacherous targets him for revenge Hiccup will do everything he can to get them to work together and Dagur may learn that he and Toothless have far more in common that either of them ever imagined. Warning: spoilers to A View With a Skrill.
1. Chapter 1

Gaining Respect

A battle at sea was always a dangerous thing, perhaps more so than a battle on land. On land there were places to take cover, to form a proper defense and offense but at sea if your ship went down and you weren't close to land you were a goner no matter how great a warrior you were. Mix that with an air fight and you were just asking for trouble. The dragon riders had the advantage, Dagur couldn't deny that and without the Skrill he no longer had the ample fire power to take down that blasted Nightfury without luring it in close. His anger grew at that. How dare Hiccup take what was rightfully his? How dare he take his Skrill, the face of the Berserkers, away from him? It wasn't right. They were brothers. This wasn't the way things were supposed to be.

"Load the cannons! I want that Nightfury!" he yelled at his warriors as he loaded his crossbow. "Bring it down any way necessary but no one…_no one_ touches Hiccup. He's mine."

Of course when your opponents can fly at speeds to fast to follow aiming became a rather large issue. The dragon riders had been doing this a long time. They knew how to dip and dodge and avoid the boulders being hurled at them while still being able to do considerable damage to the Berserker ships. So far they had already sunk one and the surviving Berserkers were swimming to the remaining ships for rescue. Fiver dragons versus more than fifty Berserkers. It was shameful. How could six teenager warriors-to-be out smart and out gun Dagur's armada? He had to do something. He had to turn the tide or face the disrespect of very tribe of the Archipelago and he would not make himself into the laughing stock of their great nation like his father did before him.

He took careful aim, his crossbow cocked and ready to fire as he followed the ebony dragon swoop past his ship and circle for another blow but he did not fire, not yet. He needed to wait, to draw dragon and rider closer. He would not miss, not this time.

"Oh, Hiccup!" he called in a sing-song voice, hoping to goad the young leader of the dragon riders into facing him one on one like he had only weeks earlier. "Time to put you big boy pants on and face me like a man." He pivoted as the Nightfury shot a plasma blast at him, not hitting him but close enough to make him momentarily lose his aim and have to step back. He frowned as the beast fly up into the clouds. Why didn't the dragon just roast him? Why did it act as if it only wanted to knock away his weapons rather than truly fight him? Any other dragon would move in for the kill. It had to be Hiccup's doing.

A high pitch scream alerted him to the Nightfury's rapid descent. Dagur brought the butt of the crossbow back to his shoulder and took careful aim. Right between the dragon's eyes. All he need was one good shot between the Nightfury's eyes and it would be all over. Hiccup would be his. He'd finally make his brother see sense. A chuckled bubbled through him as the dragon came at him, its mouth opening and blue flames glowing as it prepared to fire another plasma blast. His finger tightened around the trigger and he let his breath out slowly. One shot between the eyes. It might damage the skull a little but his father had taught him how to repair such imperfections. The Nightfury would make the perfect trophy and be a great reminder to Hiccup of where his loyalties should lie.

"Toothless, rapid fire and barrel role!" Hiccup yelled at the last possible second causing Dagur's aim to falter and the arrow to fly wild.

"No!" Dagur yelled as he spun around. How…how could Hiccup do that? How did the dragon understand such commands? He stared after the two, his eyes narrowing in annoyance as the young Hooligan heir swooped around on his Nightfury and perched up on the main mast.

"Dagur, we don't need to be doing this," Hiccup called down to him from on top his dragon, looking so superior and almighty on the beast when in reality he was just a small boy pretending to be a hero. "If you'd just listen…"

Dagur snorted as he reloaded the crossbow. "You want to talk, Hiccup? Then get off your pet and come down so we can talk like old friends," Dagur sneered, not believing for a second the younger boy would give up his mount or advantage.

"Eh…no. Sorry, Dagur but as long as you're aiming pointy things at us we'll keep to the skies," Hiccup predictably answered.

Dagur gave a snort and shouldered his weapon. "Alright then, talk. You've got ten seconds. Ten…"

"You've got to be kidding."

"Nine…"

"Dagur…"

"Eight…I'm not hearing much talking."

"For crying out loud!"

"Six…"

"Let's go, bud. Maybe he'll grow up after we sink a few more ships," the little teen told his dragon.

The Nightfury glared down at Dagur and gave a nasty growl before spreading open its wings and taking flight. Dagur had only a moment or two to appreciate its rare beauty before a plasma blast struck just in front of his feet. He gave a yelp and jumped backwards. That one was close and was all dragon. He smirked. The beast didn't like him. Perhaps if he couldn't get Hiccup to fight him then maybe he could make the Nightfury. It was obviously very protective of Hiccup, something he could sort of relate to. This time when he took aim it wasn't at the Nightfury, no the creature would just dodge the arrow as it had each time so far. Nope, this time he targeted Hiccup. Just the younger boy's shoulder or leg – he didn't want to kill his brother after all. No, it he was right the dragon would either try to dodge the shot or block it. He moved carefully with the beast, not following it this time but keeping his aim slightly ahead to ensure his shot was true and then let his arrow fly.

He didn't wait to see if it hit its mark. Quick as a flash he loaded a bola onto the crossbow, took aim again – the foolish animal had dodged to protect its rider and was now within easy firing range – and yelling to his men fired a series of bolas at dragon and rider. The two were so busy trying to correct themselves that the dragon didn't have a chance to dodge or retreat and the bolas hit home, wrapping around its sleek body, tail and muzzle and sending it spinning out of control. Hiccup gave a cry as he was thrown off the beast and went tumbling into the rolling sea. The dragon followed suit, causing a large enough splash to push the ships back from where it impacted.

"Hiccup!" some girl yelled from on top another dragon. She and two boys swooped down with their dragons in an attempt to retrieve Hiccup and his dragon.

"Keep them back," Dagur ordered. He waited a moment, expecting Hiccup to pop out of the sea spitting out water and flailing about like a man about to drown but when that didn't happen an old worry began to nag at the Berserk chief. Hiccup only had one good leg, the other had been replaced by a prosthetic. He had never been a strong swimming but now he may be worse. Taking off his helmet Dagur threw it to his second. Harold caught it just as his younger leader dove into the sea after his prey.

"Dagur!" he yelled but it was too late to stop the young chieftain.

The water was unbelievably cold and the shock of it nearly stole Dagur's breath. He fought to hold his breath and not immediately gasp for air. He gave himself a moment to adjust as he looked around, hoping to see Hiccup under the water. It took a moment of two, the sea vast and every moving. He saw the Nightfury first, the large black mass unmistakable, and there fight to free the beast was Hiccup working fiercely to cut the ropes. Judging by the little bubbles escaping his nose and mouth he was nearly out of oxygen. Dagur swam to him, not afraid of the Nightfury trying to attack him. It was under water and couldn't breathe fire and with its limps tangled it couldn't even claw him.

Hiccup gave a start when Dagur wrapped an arm around his waist and yanked him away from the dragon. With one powerful kick Dagur separated the two and started swimming back to the surface. Hiccup struggled and reached for his mount but as quickly as they were moving to the surface the dragon was sinking to the depths of the sea. Dagur woke the surface first and inhaled a deep breath before pulling Hiccup up as well. The smaller boy was still struggling and the moment he got a lungful of air he tried diving back under.

"No!" Dagur yelled, keeping a firm hold on Hiccup. "Hiccup, enough. Stop!"

"No! Let go! Toothless!" Hiccup yelled, trying to break free. He managed for a brief moment before Dagur grabbed the back of his shirt and shoved him back under for a count of ten before yanking him back out. The boy sputtered water and turned to glare at him.

Dagur glared back. "Stay put," he ordered before calling to Harold and Savage for the hook and line Captain Vorg had installed when they discovered the Skrill. Then dove under the water once more he went to retrieve the blasted Nightfury.

In the seconds it took to shut Hiccup up and grab the line the black dragon had sunk quite a distance. Now Dagur was a good swimmer, it was something he prided himself on ever since he was a little boy. He was able to hold his breath for a long time but by the time he reached the Nightfury he was nearly at his limit. He snagged the hook between the ropes on the beast's back, made sure they were secure and gave a tug to signal his men to pull. Then he swam back just a bit to get a good look at his catch. At first he thought the dragon may have drowned. It lay limply in the water with only a few bubbles coming from its nose. Dagur reached out to touch its head, something he had wanted to do ever since he first laid eyes on it. It was a beautiful creature, unimaginably wonderful. A shame it had to be killed but its skull will make a wonderful helmet.

Just as his hand brushed the animal's head, large bright green eyes snapped open. The eyes dilated then narrowed like a cats as it glared at Dagur with utter hatred before struggling against the ropes. Dagur swam back in surprise and silently laughed at himself. He should have known the off spring of lightning and death would not be so easy to kill.

The line suddenly tightened and the dragon was yanked upward. Dagur grabbed it and allowed his men to pull him and the dragon back to the surface as he stood triumphantly on the beast's back. Once they broke the surface he gave a victorious crow to his men and chuckled darkly. He did it, he caught the Nightfury and…

His eyes lit up when he saw Hiccup floating next to his boat, eyes wide and full of fear for his dragon friend.

"No…" he breathed. He began swimming toward the dragon, his thin arms stretching for the ropes.

Dagur growled in annoyance and jumped back into the water. Hiccup back paddled a bit as the water sloshed around him. When he got himself oriented he tried going back to his dragon but it was too late, it was already being hauled out of the water and onto the boat. Berserkers surrounded it as the other dragon riders made to attempt a rescue.

Hiccup brushed his wet hair out of his eyes as he looked up at the ship and tried to figure a way to get to the Nightfury. He looked flustered and more frighten than Dagur had ever seen him. It angered Dagur. That wasn't a look he liked seeing on Hiccup's face unless it was directed toward him. But it wasn't just fear for the dragon, he suddenly noted as he swam to the younger boy. Hiccup was barely keeping himself above water. He kept sinking and having to fight to get back up. His artificial leg was hampering him but even when Dagur went to help him Hiccup shoved him away.

"Why?" Hiccup yelled at him as he used his arms to keep his head above water. "We don't need to be fighting."

"You lied to me," Dagur said point of fact.

"That's what this is about? Because my father and I tried to keep us from going to war? You're a lunatic!"

"You lied!"

Hiccup gave a little growl and slapped the water in frustration. "Seriously? We're going to argue this out in the middle of the damn ocean?"

Dagur blinked. That was the closest he had ever heard Hiccup come to swearing. It made him smirk. "Why not?" he joked.

Hiccup just stared at him before shaking his head and covering his face. "For the love of Thor! Dagur…I'm serious."

. . .

Up above the dragon riders watched the two argue with curiosity.

"Are they seriously arguing in the middle of the ocean?" Astrid asked in surprise.

"Would seem so," Snotlout answered equally confused.

"You don't think Dagur will drown Hiccup, do you?" Fishlegs asked timidly. He petted Meatlug worriedly.

"Cool," Ruffnut purred as he leaned forward on Barf. "You think we should keep blowing up ships until they make up their minds?"

"Yeah, bet we can take down two more while everyone is preoccupied with them," Tuffnut agreed.

Astrid worried her lower lip, wanting to go to Hiccup and get him and Toothless to safety but as another more familiar boat appeared off port her worry grew. Snotlout spotted it as well.

"Uh…I thought all the Outcasts joined the Berserkers," he asked her, a little confused by the new comer.

Fishlegs pulled out his scoop and took a closer look. "Uhm…this is definitely worse than a rogue Outcast."

"What?" Astrid demanded as she pulled out her own scoop and took a look. "Oh no. Hiccup!" she yelled down to the boys. "HICCUP!"

. . .

"Let Toothless go," Hiccup demanded as he glared at Dagur. It was getting harder and harder for him to tread water. His bad leg was aching right up to the hip.

"Give me my Skrill," Dagur shot back as he swam a little closer.

Hiccup spat out another mouth full of water after accidently going under. "I can't," he spat. He winced as his leg cramped. He needed to get out of the water.

"Can't or won't?"

"Both!" This time when he went under it became too much of a fight to kick his way back up. Nonetheless he held his breath as he tried rubbing the cramp out of his leg. He couldn't keep this up. He needed to get out of the water and get to Toothless before the Berserkers did something horrible to him. A gasp escaped him as a strong arm wrapped around his middle and for a second time Dagur pulled him to the surface. He began coughing uncontrollably and spitting up water.

"Hold on, brother," the older boy whispered and Hiccup wanted to remind him they weren't brothers. They weren't related in any way, form or shape but the salt water had momentarily stolen his voice as he tried to gather his wits.

"If you two are done swimming we've got company," Astrid announced as she and Stormfly swooped down close enough to yell to the boys yet far enough away to not be hit by Berserker weaponry, at least not without them accidentally hitting their leader. She pointed toward the approaching boat.

"Who..?" Dagur asked as he held Hiccup above water.

Hiccup wiped water out of his eyes and tried to focus. He inhaled sharply. "That's not possible."

Dagur's eyes darkened and his hold on Hiccup tightened as he too saw who stood at the bow of the oncoming vessel. "Alvin the Treacherous," he snarled.


	2. Chapter 2

Gaining Respect 2

**Okay I meant to mention this in the first chapter but as many of you know this follows A View to a Skrill but it does not follow any of my other dagcup fics so I apologize if there's any confusion between those fics and this one.**

Dagur stared at the approaching boat in disbelief. Alvin was alive? How was that possible? The Skrill had electrocuted him. It should have killed him yet there was no mistaking the man at the bow. A momentary rush of panic hit him as he wonder what magic could have possibly spared Alvin but he shook it off as Hiccup yelled orders up to the dragon riders to force the advancing ship back.

Dagur gave an annoyed snarl as he adjusted his hold around the smaller boy and back paddled toward his flag ship. Hiccup struggled for a moment before giving an exasperated growl and letting himself be drag backward. It wasn't as if he could swim very far anyway so Dagur had no fear of him trying to escape.

"Harold," Dagur called up to his second-in-command before lifting Hiccup above him and shoving him up to the outstretched hand reaching down for him.

Harold grabbed Hiccup by the wrist and hauled the youth up and onto the deck then shoved him to Savage as he reached back down for Dagur. He pulled his chief up and immediately threw a fur around him to warm him after being in the frigid water.

"I'm fine," sneered the young man as it threw the fur to Savage. "Keep him warm," he ordered, glaring at Hiccup who was shivering uncontrollably. Two pairs of green eyes glared at each other in a battle of wills before Hiccup looked away and shoved away the fur as if to prove he was just as strong and able as Dagur. The Berserker chief gave an amused laugh before stomping toward the younger boy and wrapping the fur around the smaller boy. "I deal with you after I kill Alvin again, brother."

"We're not brothers," Hiccup said between chattering teeth, his gaze as defiant as ever.

Dagur only pulled the fur over his head and pushed him into Savage's arms. "Keep him away from that dragon of his," he instructed as he strolled toward one of the catapults and took quick stock of their ammo. There were only three boulders left and a quarter bucket of oil left. Not much and he doubted the other ships were any better. That's alright, he prefer battling Alvin one on one anyway. So rather than load the catapult he jumped up on top the ship's banister and grabbed a mast line for support. "Oh Alvin, you're looking a little frizzled. Did my Skrill fry your beard or is that how it's always been?" he taunted with a maddening laugh.

The ship is closing fast on a direct course for the center of Dagur's. The young Berserker stood right in front of it, his knees bent and ready to jump aboard once it hit. He wasn't expecting Hiccup to escape Savage by stomping on the man's foot with his metal one or making a dash for his blasted dragon. He whirled around at Savage's yell and went to whip a dagger at the small Hooligan, intent on taking out his bad leg completely but Harold got to Hiccup first and lifted him right off his feet and carried him away from the dragon kicking and screaming.

"Nice try, Hicc-up," Dagur sang with another laugh. He would have taunted the boy further but Alvin's ship slammed into his just then. Thrown off balance the Berserker fell off the banister and onto the Nightfury. He gave a surprised yelp and pushed off the snarling beast. "Whoa…" he breathed before pushing himself back to his feet and shaking away the momentary fear that had flooded him at just how close he got to those teeth. Then he bared his own teeth and snarled back.

"Where's my Skrill, Dagur?" Alvin's gravelly voice demanded as the large Viking jumped aboard the ship, his sword in hand.

Forgetting the Nightfury, Dagur pulled out his battle axe and gave it a twirl. "Wasn't your Skrill, Alvin. She was mine. She was always mine!"

"Was?" the older man growled, his blue eyes narrowing in annoyance. "You've lost the beast already? Blasted whelp, can't even control a dragon." His gaze fell upon Hiccup as the boy struggled with Harold, still soaking wet and shriving like a leaf in the cold. "Fine, then I'll be taking my Dragon Conqueror and finding me self a new Skrill."

Quick as a whip Dagur circled around the Outcast chief and stood between Alvin and Hiccup. "Keep your filthy paws off him," he warned with a growl. "Hiccup's mine."

"Actually he's ours," yelled Astrid as she and Stormfly circled around the ship. She backed off a little when Harold brought a knife to Hiccup's throat and tilted his head back just enough to give the dragon riders a good warning to back off. "No! Hiccup?"

"I'm okay, Astrid. Take the others and go. I'll be fine," Hiccup yelled up to the girl, his breathing rapid and trying to stay still so he didn't get his throat slit.

Astrid hesitated, her eyes meeting his imploringly before letting out a long breath and nodding. "Come one, Stormfly," she said softly before regrouping with the others and heading in the direction of Berk. Knowing Astrid she'd only take the riders as far as the nearest sea stack before turning back around with a new attack plan.

"Good lad," Harold whispered as he lowered his blade.

"Sadly, you won't be getting to know him," Savage said as he pressed the tip of his crossbow to the side of the other man's head. "Hiccup will be coming with us Outcasts."

Dagur inhaled sharply when he heard Savage's words. He turned and glared at the Outcast. "Traitor!" he sneered as he readied his axe to throw at the man only to have Alvin grab his wrist, yank him back and deliver a punch to the gut that knocked the wind out of him. He was thrown back and slammed against the wall of the ship.

"No boy, just well-placed decoys," Alvin chuckled darkly as he sauntered toward the fallen chief. He raised his sword, ready to deliver the killing blow.

Hiccup wasn't sure who to route for if either of them. No matter who won he and Toothless were the prize. But still a small childhood memory of Dagur once protecting him hit him and the need to right his wrong doing overcame him. "Toothless, tail whip!" he yelled before being backhanded by Savage. He fell to the deck as Harold lashed out at the other man.

Dagur ducked as a black tail snapped just centimeters from his face and knocked Alvin overboard. He took a deep calming breath before hurriedly crawling to Hiccup and checking his vitals even though the smaller boy was already moving and holding his cheek with a grumbled "ow." Dagur gave him a little smirk before getting to his feet and hauling Hiccup up alongside him. He shoved the Hooligan against the bow. "Stay down and stay away from that dragon," he ordered as he pointed to the deck.

"This spot?" Hiccup asked cheekily. "I prefer that spot." He pointed to where the Nightfury was threateningly lashing its tail back and forth.

Dagur grabbed the smaller boy's soaked hair, absently noticing it was starting to form ice particles due to the cold, and yanked his head back painfully. "Stay right here or say good bye to your other leg," he said calmly before shoving Hiccup down and in the narrow corner of the bow. "Throw all Outcasts over board. Dispose of them now!"

The problem was that in all the confusion of Alvin's sudden appearance the Outcasts had already overrun the other ships, taken the Berserkers by surprise and casting them into the frigid waters while they were distracted. Now the Berserkers were scrambling to get onto one of the other ships while the Outcasts commandeered two. Dagur looked about in shock and confusion. How did it come to this? Why had he not killed every last Outcast when he had the chance rather than giving them a chance to join him? He whirled around searching for Savage but the fool had jumped ship with two other Outcasts and took charge of the one Alvin had come in where a good dozen or more Outcasts had been hiding. For the first time since he became chief the Berserkers were outnumbered and out gunned.

"Surrender, Dagur and I may just be gracious enough to let you live. Maybe I'll even let you see how training a dragon is really done," Alvin called from his ship as he climbed back aboard.

"I don't think so," Hiccup yelled, out of his corner and arming the catapult with only the bucket of oil and lit it a flame.

"Hiccup?" Dagur took a double take, glancing to where he had just shoved the boy to wear he was now and pondering how Hiccup could possibly have escaped him so quickly when all of a sudden the trigger was released and the bucket went flying into the other ship and smashed against the mast and sail, setting everything ablaze.

"Come about!" Dagur yelled to the remaining Berserkers as they moved their boats away from the burning ship. But Alvin wasn't about to let them escape. Despite the flames and falling mast his warriors rowed after them, giving chase and before Dagur's ship could get out of the way they were rammed hard enough to make the ship list severely starboard, knocking everyone off their feet and sliding to one side of the ship. The Nightfury rolled into several Berserkers and accidentally knocked them into the water.

"Toothless!" Hiccup yelled as he hurried to his dragon.

Dagur grabbed the younger boy but Hiccup kicked him hard in the shoulder with his prosthetic foot, knocking him backward and into the starboard wall. He gave a surprised grunt and held his shoulder. For someone so small and delicate looking Hiccup sure had a strong kick. Still, he wasn't about to let the Hooligan free that Nightfury and fly off as if nothing happened. They were going to have a few words and get a couple of things straightened out even if that meant taking his other leg just to make him sit still. He struggled to his feet, the slope of the ship making it hard to get purchase of the deck. Nonetheless he fought to get back to his feet as the first rope snapped. Where Hiccup got the sword he had no clue, most likely one of the idiot Outcasts dropped it in the skirmish because his Berserkers were certainly not dumb enough to do something that stupid. With a growl he made his way toward the dragon, his sword drawn and ready to take its head to end all this foolishness. He stopped mid step, noticing Alvin's men had their crossbows aimed at Hiccup and his dragon with seemed out of place considering Alvin wanted Hiccup alive. Worse Hiccup seemed oblivious to them as he sawed away at the ropes. Dagur's heart stopped. This wasn't supposed to be happening. _He_ was supposed to have Hiccup. _He_ was supposed to join their tribes. If Hiccup hadn't taken his Skrill then none of this would be happening.

That wasn't important now. His anger at Hiccup vanished in the very real fear of the younger boy being killed. He didn't think, he acted. In only a few steps he leapt across the listing deck, just as the last rope was cut in half and the Nightfury's wings spread wide and Alvin pulled the trigger on his crossbow. Dagur grabbed Hiccup and twisted the youth out of the arrow's path. It cut through the dragon's wing as it gave a flap, as if shaking the remaining ropes off. It gave a cry of pain that Dagur echoed as the arrow embedded into his back.

Another arrow just missed them but the dragon was now spooked. It thrashed as it got to its feet and inadvertently knocked both boys overboard in its panic before realizing leaping in after them. Dagur barely noticed any of this as he hit his head against the side of the ship, not quite knocking him unconscious but disorienting him to the point he wasn't sure which way up from down was. He felt a tug on his shoulder pads and the tug of water on the arrow in his back and then darkness consumed him.


	3. Chapter 3

Gaining Respect 3

The sound of waves crashing against rocks was what stirred Hiccup. He gave a moan as his eyes slowly blinked open and then spit up some water. A pressure pushed on the bridge of his nose and for a brief moment he thought he had broken his nose in the fall but the bone was seemed normal. Just a head then, probably from being thrown in the cold water again. Wonderful.

He shivered as he pushed himself to his hands and knees and looked around. He was on an island. Which one he wasn't sure, he couldn't quite recall which islands he had passed over while on patrol with the other rider. His mind seemed numbed by the shock of the cold this time and all he knew for sure was that he had managed to survive and that was all that mattered right that moment.

"Toothless?" he called as he looked around and then smiled when he saw the black mass only a few feet away from him and shaking off water. He gave a relieved laugh as he stumbled to his feet and made his way to his best friend. "Hey bud, you okay?"

The Nightfury look sideways at him then gave a lopsided smile at seeing his rider awake and up. He covered the distance between them and nuzzled the boy happily.

"I'm happy to see you, too," Hiccup laughed as he petted the large head. "Now let me take a look at you. Toothless, stay still. Hey, I'm fine now…" His voice faltered as he looked past the dragon and along the beach to another figure laying face first in the sand with an unmistakable arrow in his back. "Good Thor," he breathed as realization hit him. He barely remembered grabbing Dagur when they splashed in the water and then holding onto Toothless as the dragon swam toward safety. He must have lost his grip when he passed out for Dagur to wash up so far from them.

Running a hand over Toothless's ripped wing he ignored the small injury to go and see if the Berserker was still alive. His heart was in his throat. Dagur wasn't moving and the arrow looked as if it may have pierced his lung. Was he dead? Hiccup chewed on his lower lip, not sure if it was safe for him to get close to the deranged teen but in the end he couldn't stop himself from going to him if only to check Dagur's vitals to be sure.

He couldn't roll Dagur over without causing more damage so Hiccup knelt next to him and placed two fingers against the big vein on the side of his neck. He waited a few incredibly long seconds as he shivered and fought against chattering teeth. Then he felt it, a pulse, weak and fluttery but undoubtedly there.

Sitting back in the sand Hiccup debated what to do. He couldn't just leave Dagur here to die could he? No, that would be wrong and only ensure war between their tribes and yeah Dagur was a creep and complete loon but he was still a kid. With a sigh he called to Toothless as he moved to Dagur's other side and as far away from the arrow as possible. Now Hiccup wasn't very strong even though he had been trying to tone up and Dagur was more than double his size but that didn't stop him from trying to lift the older boy. Of course sand was not the best thing to gain purchase when lifting someone larger then you especially when you were both soaked to the bone but Hiccup did his best and came crashing down a moment later.

Toothless gave a bleating laugh that made his rider glare up at him. "You could be helping," he reprimanded his friend only for Toothless to back away and gave the unconscious Berserker a low growl. "Oh give it up, he's out cold and can't do anything. Come on, bud. Let's just get him out of the water and somewhere safe then I can patch him up and leave him for his men to find, alright?"

The Nightfury gave another rumbling growl before seemingly rolling his eyes and sauntering over. He didn't so much help as he did lower his body to the ground close enough for Hiccup to drag Dagur's dead weight to him and pull him unto the saddle. Once that was done Hiccup relieved the Berserker of every weapon on his person – which was far more than he could have imagined fitting on anyone – and stored them in the only remaining saddle bag still connected to Toothless's harness. Then he quickly tied Dagur's ankles and wrists, not willing to take any chances of the deranged Viking attacking either Toothless or him.

"Alright," he told Toothless as he stood, a hand on Dagur's back to help keep him from falling off. "Let's see if we can find a sheltered place to dry off before that storm hits," he said looking up at the darkening sky. Big grey storm clouds were rolling in. There was no way he and Toothless could fly in that storm if it turned to freezing rain or a blizzard, either of which was possible considering where they were. The wind picked up and whipped around them, making Hiccup shiver even more. They had to find shelter as soon as possible.

. . .

The battle between the Berserkers and Outcasts was at a standstill. Alvin was laughing hysterically as he proclaimed victory and tried persuading the Berserkers to join him much as Dagur had only a few weeks ago with the Outcasts. There was a difference though, Harold was not about to hand over his nephew's army.

"Retreat," he yelled to the Berserkers as he took the helm. "Captain Vorg, chart course to the nearest island. The boys are out there somewhere."

"Sir?" the timid captain asked as he looked about as if expecting Dagur to pop up at any moment and throw him overboard again.

"Are you deft or do you need a swim in the drink to clear your ears?" Harold demanded. "Where be the nearest island?"

The man scrambled to find the charts, his ship now the last one remaining under Berserker control. "South! We go south! I mean port, it's port side!"

Harold cranked the wheel in that direction, narrowly missing a flaming boulder that was aimed at their mast. "Please be safe, nephew," he whispered to himself as he got his men out of the line of fire and prayed the Outcasts didn't give chase. He had no clue where Dagur and Hiccup could have ended up but he knew his nephew. Dagur was a stubborn boy and not one to go down without a fight. He would find a way to safety and return to them.

. . .

Should we give chase, sir?" Savage asked as the Outcasts cheered over their victory.

Alvin's gaze followed the Berserker ship for several long seconds before he shook his head. "No, let them go. I want their leader. Chart the water current. If we follow it we'll find Dagur and Hiccup." He gave a laugh as his fell on a wooden and metal Berkian shield floating on the water. Grabbing a net he pulled it out of the water to inspect. There was no mistaking the Nightfury painted on the polished metal. "I might just have me self a dragon trainer and a little snack for the beasties."

. . .

The dragon riders gathered on top of a tall sea stack and looked back in the direction of the battle. They could barely make out the ships now, there was so much smoke from the two that had been burning until they sunk and it created a dense fog around the others. Astrid chewed her lower lip and hoped that Hiccup and Toothless were alright. One of the ships that had sunk was Dagur's flag ship and that was where Hiccup and Toothless were being held.

"Okay," she finally said with a deep breath. "Snotlout, we'll go in low and skim the water. If you see Hiccup grab him. Hookfang, you do the same with Toothless. Fishlegs, Ruff, Tuff, you guys give us cover fire. I want to get in, get them and get out of there before Dagur or Alvin manage a lucky shot. We'll need to get them back to Berk as quickly as possible before hyperthermia sets in and…"

"Ah, Astrid, I think their leaving," Fishlegs reported as he watched the rival tribes through his scope.

Astrid pulled out hers and looked as well. "Okay, change in plan. We'll all skim the water and if we can't find them then we'll spilt into two teams and follow each tribe. If Hiccup's not in the water then he and Toothless are on one of those ships. Use the Terrible Terrors to communicate back and forth."

"How can we be sure they weren't killed?" Snotlout asked in sudden doubt as he watched what was transpiring through his own scope. While none of them could clearly see what was going on or who was doing what other than the ships were moving in opposite directions the very real possibility of Hiccup and Toothless being killed in the battle hung in the air between the teens.

Astrid swallowed the lump in her throat. "They weren't," she said sternly. She blinked away the tears shimmering against her eye lids and gave Snotlout a hard glare. "And even if they were we still have to bring them home to Berk. Stoick wouldn't want us to leave them out there."

They're not dead, she told herself over and over again. Hiccup would find a way.

"Let's find them before the weather gets any worse," she instructed as the first snowflakes began to fall. She was almost certain none of them would be making it home tonight.

. . .

The wind was picking up and with it the temperature dropped. Snow whipped around Hiccup, biting at his numb fingers. Nonetheless he held onto Dagur and Toothless as they made their way inland. This would be a bad storm by the feel of things. He huddled closer to his dragon in hopes of gaining some warmth from his best friend. If they didn't find shelter soon they would freeze to death. Dagur was already shivering so bad that Hiccup was afraid he may do more damage to his injuries that good.

A heaven showed itself when they passed a rocky ledge that gave a break from the endless wind. The blizzard momentarily cleared and there only a hundred or so yards away was a narrow cave just big enough for the three to squeeze in – although Hiccup did have to climb onto Toothless's back in order to reposition Dagur so they could get through without hurting him further.

Once they were inside the wind no longer whipped at them and Hiccup was able to rub his hands together and breathe onto his fingers. Oh they stung something fierce as did his toes. He couldn't remember ever feeling so cold. His hair was literally frozen and didn't help his head stay warm whatsoever. Toothless went as far back as he could before lowering to the ground so Hiccup could slide off. As soon as he was off he reached up for Dagur and carefully pulled him down. Toothless tried to just dump him off his back.

"Whoa…whoa…easy, Toothless, easy. I know you don't like him but trust me, he can't do anything to hurt us right now," Hiccup soothed although he knew for a fact that if Dagur was awake and wanted he would attack without thought or care. But even with that possible threat hanging over their heads he carefully lowered the older boy to the ground and onto his belly to keep pressure off the arrow. He had to treat the wound and then – weather permitting – he would leave Dagur there, find one of his men and tell him where he was so he could get the proper medical treatment, then head back to Berk.

Sadly Mother Nature never seemed to agree with his plans.


	4. Chapter 4

Gaining Respect 4

Dagur had slipped in and out of consciousness as he was carried on top of the Nightfury's back. That had frightened him for a moment, hanging from the back of the very beast that he was determined to kill. He had made out Hiccup's feet walking next to him with a pronounced limp that he had never really noticed before and blamed on the prosthetic leg. He heard Hiccup's small whispers of assurance as he kept an almost protective hand on his back. Then Dagur passed out again and hung limply from the Nightfury.

Normally Dagur's dreams weren't very pleasant and were full of memories and past wrongs. On the rare occasion he would dream of hunting dragons and the Skrill he had lost. Oh how he hated Hiccup for taking it from him, for goading him into battle and stealing his most valued prize yet at the same time he still thought of the boy as his brother who needed protection even if it was from himself.

_"He is your future," Raya told him as she checked over his wounds after returning from losing the Skrill. He sat her hut, the only healer he ever trusted. His aunt was a wonderful woman who was like a mother to him. She would always have a kind smile and somehow make things better even when his helmet would still give him and anyone who touched it a shock. Even her amused smile as she wrapped her delicate hands around the edges of the helmet as she lifted if off his head was more soothing than annoying and he couldn't get mad at her teasing. Still she was more confusing at times than anyone else._

_"What do you mean 'my' future?" he asked not sure if he liked her fortune telling. She was a seer, the next in line to be shaman but she didn't almost have the best news for him._

_She smiled at him and stroked back some of his frizzled hair that had escaped the tight knot of his braid. "Hiccup is your equal. He will be your greatest alley if you put aside your foolish pride and open your eyes."_

_He let the "foolish pride" part slide. She was the only one he would ever get away with such words anyone else would have died for uttering them. "Hiccup with the dainty hands who can barely hold an axe let alone fight a battle?" he scoffed as he stood up and turned from her. "Hiccup is nothing. He lied to me! His father lied! They _were_ our allies now they're our enemies. Hiccup stole my Skrill. _My_ Skrill! If he was my ally and friend why would he steal what is rightfully mine? Why not help me instead? He could have helped me train her and…"_

_"You can't train a Skrill, boy," Harold said as he stepped into the living room._

_Dagur's eyes narrowed at his second in command. "Don't speak to me as if I'm a child."_

_"We're not on the ships or amongst your troops, nephew. I will speak to you as if you're a child if you insist on acting like one," Harold said sternly as he gently but firmly shoved the young man back into a seat. "No hold still while you aunt makes sure that there's no lasting effects from your accident."_

_"Hiccup's fault," Dagur grumbled as he folded his arms across his chest and pouted. Harold wore many hats amongst the Berserker tribe, the first and foremost being Dagur's uncle and most trusted adviser, his second in command and undoubtedly the best soldier in his army. So when Harold gave him shit he listened – at least in private._

_"You let him goad you," Harold pointed out. "And you were the fool that stepped into water while having the beast fire electricity at the boy. So that was your fault not Hiccup's."_

_"You always take his side."_

_"Since when?"_

_"Since…since…oh shut up."_

_Harold chuckled and patted his shoulder. "Then listen to your aunt."_

_He did whether he wanted to or not and with Raya's words came a dream of the future, a dream Dagur held dear to his heart even if he wanted to deny it. He saw himself standing on a great battle field with enemy soldiers on either side of him and his army behind him joined by another grand army. At his side stood Hiccup, a little older and perhaps a little taller and dressed like the Viking warrior he was meant to be. A brother at arms. And the grin on Hiccup's face when he looked at Dagur was all for him. It brought a pride and happy flutter in the older boy's stomach he had never felt before._

"Dagur?" Hiccup asked, his voice unusually loud and full of worry.

It sent a jolt of shock through the young Berserker and he moaned softly when he opened his eyes only to be faced with a rocky ground, a folded leather vest that was under his head and a pair of knobby knees not far from his shoulder. "Uh…what?" he groaned as he tried to shift. He gave a cry as pain shot through his back and left shoulder.

"Don't move," Hiccup said hurriedly as he pushed down on Dagur's right shoulder to keep him from moving. "You've got an arrow in your back and…"

"Get it out!"

"And exactly how to you propose I do that?" Hiccup snapped back as he fought to hold the larger boy down. "Now stop moving or I'll have Toothless sit on you." He gave a yelp as Dagur reached around, grabbed his wrist and yanked him off with both hands. "Dagur!"

Dagur pulled him close enough to see his face, to see the worry and fear in his bright green eyes. It wasn't of him, Hiccup rarely showed any real fear of him anymore but there was fear for him and that made Dagur go still. "Pull it out," he said, his voice more calm now. This wasn't the Hiccup from his dream but that didn't mean he couldn't be. He held Hiccup's thin wrist for a moment more before letting it go. It was only then he noticed both his wrists were tied together and he gave them a curious glare before dismissing it. Obviously he was Hiccup's prisoner…for now.

"If I pull it out it can cause more damage and I don't know if I can push it through without hitting your lung or heart," Hiccup argued. He had been pondering what to do since getting Dagur to the cave. He never had to remove an arrow before but knew the basics. "Okay…okay, I've got an idea but it's going to hurt."

"Stop being wimpy and just do it," Dagur ordered.

Grumbling, Hiccup pulled a hunting knife from his belt – the one that was usually in Dagur's boot – then sat on Dagur's back. A small grin tugged at his lips when Dagur gave a disgruntled grunt at the sudden weight on the small of his back but said nothing. "This is going to hurt," he warned.

"Get on with it."

Taking a deep breath Hiccup steadied his hand and then cut away Dagur's shirt so he could get a good look at what he was dealing with. The arrow was lodged right under Dagur's shoulder blade which meant it could be jammed in the bone or between bones or… He tightened his grip. He was almost certain that trying to push it through would only do more damage than good. He would have to cut it out. Placing his right hand on Dagur's shoulder he braced himself as well as hoped to keep the larger boy still as he sliced into the tanned flesh right beside the arrow. All he needed was to widen the entry wound and he could pull the arrow out – he hoped.

For the most part Dagur stayed still but his whole body tensed as he hissed in pain. Hiccup worked as quickly as he could and mopped up the blood caused by the incision with the sleeve of his shirt in order to make sure where he was cutting. When he was sure he had the cut exactly right he sat back and wiped his brow as he gave them both a break. "Okay, I'm going to pull it out now so…uh…hold still." He wrapped his hands around the shaft of the arrow, then with a deep breath pulled as hard as he could.

Under him Dagur fought not to scream but in the end he couldn't hold it in. He cried out as the arrow head tugged and scrapped bones. Tears stung his eyes and his hands curled into fists as the pain became almost unbearable and then…it was out. He slumped against the ground and took gulping breaths of air. He pressed his head to the familiar leather vest under his head as he tried to relax. He was only given a minute or so as Hiccup heated the knife against… Dagur shifted to look. There was no fire. Hiccup was knelt next to a bunch of glowing rocks that seemed to be emitting heat. Okay, he had to be dreaming. His eyes closed. Yeah, all a dream.

"Okay, this may hurt more," Hiccup said as he wandered back.

Dagur ignored him. Just a dream. Well until the scalding hot blade met the open wound on his back. He jumped then and threw the smaller boy away from him. Hiccup rolled to his feet and glared at him. Dagur only panted as he looked around the cave wildly. "What..? Where am I? What happened?" he demanded, his eyes wild and face ashen from the pain and hypothermia he had suffered while they were outside. When his gaze fell upon the Nightfury they nearly blazed with hatred. "YOU!"

"Whoa!" Hiccup yelled jumping up to get between his dragon and the crazed teen – not that Dagur could do much while bond but it was the idea of a possible threat to his best friend that scared him. "Easy, both of you."

Toothless snarled at Dagur, his head low and teeth bared as if he was more than willing to rip the Berserker chieftain in two or many more pieces. Hiccup wrapped his arms around his wide neck and threw his weight against his forepaw to try to stop him. It was kind of funny to see Dagur almost mimicking the dragon, his own teeth bared at the dragon as he snarled at him.

"Okay…that's enough. Would you two just calm down!" Hiccup yelled at them as he nearly lost his footing and had to hug Toothless just in order not to fall and be trampled as he went after Dagur. "Tooth, stop. He's tied up and in no condition to hurt you. Come on…that's enough! Bad dragon!" He couldn't help but laugh when his friend finally stopped and head bunted him as if he was being the silly one and not the angry dragon. "He's not going to hurt me either," Hiccup assured, understanding Toothless's worry. He brushed a hand over the large black head.

"Tooth?" Dagur asked with a grumble as he sat back, careful of his back. He glared at the dragon. "What type of name is that?"

Hiccup only frowned at him. He gave a frustrated sigh. "Toothless, Dagur. Dagur, Toothless. Now stop growling at each other. We going to be stuck here for a while so you two might as well get along."

That only made the two growl even louder.

"I SAID GET ALONG!" Hiccup yelled before getting in front of his dragon and giving him a meaningful look.

Toothless's eyes widened for a moment as he stared into Hiccup's eyes. Then he made a pathetic whine and turned away to lumber toward the other side but not before flicking his tail and slapping Hiccup's backside.

"Hey!" Hiccup cried indignantly as he rubbed his rear. "Toothless…"

The dragon grunted at him before blowing fire onto the rocky ground to warm it then curled up to take a nap or so it seemed. He kept one eye on Dagur and Hiccup so that if the Berserker tried anything with his rider he would be on him at a moment's notice.

Dagur just glared at the dragon, daring it to try something. He would kill the beast, he had no doubt about that. As soon as he was free he'd kill this…Toothless and then make Hiccup his. His dreams would come true. His brother will stand by his side once he got rid of the accursed creature.


	5. Chapter 5

Gaining Respect 5

The dragon riders gathered on Crescent Island as the blizzard grew in intensity. Astrid slid off Stormfly as they approached the cave Fishlegs had informed everyone about. She shivered and hugged herself as she entered, thankful that the other kids had gotten to the cave before her and already had a fair size camp fire started. The sudden warmth was like a balm for her freezing body and distressed mind. She had searched everywhere for Hiccup and Toothless and had found no clue of either of them and it made her worry more than she cared to admit.

"Any luck?" she asked the others as she warmed up near the fire. She looked around the cave, hoping to see Hiccup or even Toothless amongst the others or laying down somewhere but she didn't see them and her heart sunk.

"No," Tuffnut answered as he skewered a fish on a spit and leaned it over the fire where several more were already cooking.

"We skimmed the water," Ruffnut added looking just as glum and worried as Astrid. "We didn't even see Dagur."

"You don't think they were killed?" Fishlegs asked as he hugged Meatlug. "I mean, I followed Alvin's ship for a while but didn't see Hiccup or Toothless and Toothless is kind of hard to miss."

Snotlout gave a nod. "And I went after the Berserkers for a bit and didn't see them either or Dagur. Which is kind of odd. Wouldn't he be crowing to the moon if he defeated Alvin and slayed Toothless?" He leaned against Hookfang to absorb the dragon's warm. "Hiccup's good in the air but he's never been the strongest swimmer and with his bummed leg… I'm hoping Dagur threw him in the haul and is just giving him what for."

"What about Toothless?" Astrid countered, not wanting to really think about what Dagur might have done to the dragon before dragging him to the hold.

The dark haired boy shrugged and snuggled a little closer to Hookfang. "I don't know."

Astrid nodded. She hated to agree with Snotlout of all people but she preferred the thought that maybe Dagur had taken Hiccup to the haul and that maybe, just maybe Toothless had escaped. She had to hold onto that hope. She sat down, Stormfly curling up behind her and together they tried to warm up as they came up with their next plan of attack. "When the weather lets up we'll go to Berserker Island and search for them."

Everyone gave a grumbled agreement.

. . .

"Sir, we need to get out of this storm," yelled Savage as the waves threw the Outcast ship about. They'd already taken down the sail but the mast was groaning and if they didn't find shelter and moor somewhere soon they ship was likely to roll over and drown everyone.

"There's an island to port," one of the sailors announced pointing to the left. "We can moor there and perhaps take shelter in a cave."

Alvin gave an annoyed growl but he knew when he was defeated and Mother Nature was not a being to fight. "Alright, take us to it. When the weather clears we'll search it. Perhaps we'll get lucky and find my Dragon Conqueror."

. . .

Even the Berserkers were forced to moor just off an island as the weather took a turn for the worse. Harold was beside himself as he worried over his nephew. Where was Dagur? The boy was strong and stubborn but that didn't mean he was almighty no matter how much the boy might think otherwise. But there was nothing Harold or the Berserkers could do to help the boy until the weather cleared. He only hoped Dagur was smart enough to reach out for Hiccup's help when it really mattered and put aside his foolish pride and hurt over losing the Skrill.

. . .

"Toothless, can you reheat the rocks?" Hiccup asked as he shivered. The rocks threw a lot of heat when Toothless heated them with a plasma blast and it would last an hour or so, not nearly as long as Meatlug's lava blast, but without wood to burn and keep the heat going. But the weather was so bad outside he couldn't see a hand in front of him so gathering wood was out of the question, as was gathering any possible food. All his emergency reserves had been destroyed in the water. They had no food whatsoever and Hiccup's tummy was growling something fierce. He glanced to Dagur. The older boy wasn't any better off and while Hiccup was not about to free him he did have to do something to keep them all fed and warm.

He brushed a hand over Toothless's scales as his friend lumbered over to heat the rocks with a concentrated blast of plasma. The cave instantly warmed up and Hiccup held his cold hands over the rocks. Oh that was so much better. It got better still when Toothless wrapped a wing around him to warm him further. "Thanks, bud," he said gratefully.

"Oh I get it, he's like your stuff teddy or something," Dagur teased, his eyes suddenly filled with humor as he looked at Hiccup. A little smirk curled his lips upward as he met Hiccup's gaze.

"He's my best friend," Hiccup answered, too cold to start another fight. He leaned into Toothless, needing to warm up more. While his clothes were dry now for the most part, his boot was still soaking wet inside – he was going to take it off to heat by the fire but had decided against it because of how cold he was – and he could fight the chill that kept running up his spine.

Dagur gave a snort. "Best friends with a dragon? That's pathetic even for you."

An old hurt it Hiccup at the horrid words and he looked away.

Finding a tender spot Dagur grew ruthless. "What about those other dragon riders, huh? None of them can bother spending time with you outside of your little 'dragon club'?"

Hiccup didn't answer. He tried to keep his face blank but Dagur had known him all his life and knew how affected Hiccup was by growing up as the disgrace of Berk, of having no real friends no matter what he did to try and gain some. It wasn't that Hiccup was a loner, he wanted friends more than anything in the world but as everyone always pointed out he wasn't like other Vikings, he wasn't big and strong or blood thirsty. He wanted to be like the others and if it wasn't for Toothless he wouldn't have the other dragon riders. He couldn't really call most of them his friends, Astrid and Fishlegs for sure cared about him and now hung out with him. Fishlegs and he could go on for hours on end talking about new dragons and writing or drawing their discoveries. Astrid was the one he could turn to about his emotions and problems but again that was only because of Toothless. If it wasn't for his best friend he would be still cooped up in the forge as Gobber's assistant and having everyone fuss over him like a small child how was more trouble than he was worth.

A shimmer of tears rimmed his eyes but rather than show emotion he stood up and went to the cave's entrance. The weather was still horrid but it was better than listening to Dagur's taunting. Maybe he could find a wild chicken or boar or something for dinner.

He heard Dagur sigh behind him. "Hiccup, don't be stupid. You don't need to go out there just to get away from me. Hiccup!"

He didn't go far, just ten feet outside the cave, long enough to get a breath of fresh air away from Dagur. He couldn't stand the jerk. He barely remembered the last time Dagur was nice to him. Okay, there was that incident on Dragon Island where Dagur was going on about them being brothers but how was that even possible. It was all because Hiccup and his father had lied to him about the dragons and then faked a dragon attack to save Barf and Belch. If they had been truthful with Dagur would things have been different? But Dagur had brought his entire armada and threatened war if he learned they were training a dragon army and while they weren't the mere fact they had dragons could have started a war. He should have made Toothless leave Dragon Island with Astrid when Dagur was hunting him. At least then he could have kept up the disguise of being his brother until Dagur grew bored and went hunting something else. Or explained things to him but that could have got him killed. He thumped his head against the rock wall, ignoring the cold snow biting at his cheeks. There were thousands of things he could have done differently to make things better but at the time all he knew was he had to protect Toothless.

He let out a shaky breath. If he didn't find some way to fix this there would certainly be war between the Berserker and Hooligan tribes. He ran his hands over his face. What was he going to do? How could he possibly fix this? Dagur hated him and Toothless and… Oh gods, he left Toothless alone with that crazy kid. He took a deep breath, squared his shoulders and stormed back into the cave.

"Oh for crying out loud!" he cried, seeing the two growling at each other again. "Toothless, back off. He's not going to hurt anyone!"

The dragon was snarling at Dagur, bent low and ready to attack. Hiccup ran in front of his friend and spread his arms when he saw the hint of a blue glow emit from Toothless's nose, a sure sign he was about to fry Dagur. "Look, I'm okay. See, I just took a walk to cool down. No need to get upset, okay. See…I'm fine."

The glow went away and Toothless sat back on his hunches as he big eyes studied Hiccup for a long moment or two. Hiccup gave him a reassuring smile before turning toward Dagur.

"Alright. I've had just about enough of this. Look, I get you don't like Toothless but that's you're problem, not ours. Tooth has never done anything to hurt you, never. He's only ever protected me. So if you want to kill him you'll have to go through me and I'm more than willing to give my life to protect his," he lectured Dagur, his eyes narrow as his anger grew. "And you're right, you know. Toothless isn't only my best friend but he was my only friend until Berk finally accepted dragons as friends and allies. If it wasn't for him…" He blinked away a stray tear. "I wouldn't be standing before you. I probably would have been killed during warrior training."

Dagur blinked in surprise. "You're father put you in warrior training? You?"

Hiccup shook his head flabbergasted. "That's all you got out of that? Yes, I went to warrior training, not that I wanted to." He folded his arms across his chest. Great, he was cold again. He shouldn't have gone outside. "Can you just get over whatever issue you have with Toothless and get along? Just until the weather clears then you can go back to hunting dragons or whatever makes you a happy Berserker."

Dagur glowered at him for a moment before sitting back with a wince and kicking off his boots so they could dry properly. "What will make me happy is his head mounted on my wall."

Shaking his head Hiccup sighed. "Whatever, it's never going to happen. I'll fight you."

A predatory grin lit Dagur's face. "I'm counting on it," he purred.

Toothless gave another low growl but to Hiccup's horror and Dagur's amusement, the dragon snagged Hiccup by the scuff of his shirt, lifted him off his feet and carried him away from Dagur to his makeshift nest where he dumped his young rider. The he curled his warm body around the youth, placed his head on top of Hiccup's and made a deep soothing sound in his throat, a clear indication Hiccup was to go to sleep and get some rest while he took care of him.

Dagur snickered from the other side of the cave. "I'm sorry I didn't know she was your mama."

Hiccup rolled his eyes but managed to make himself comfortable in his friend's hold. "First you act like a jealous girlfriend then my over protective father. What am I going to do with do?" Nonetheless he petted Toothless before snuggling in a little closer. At least he was warm and with a little work he managed to get his boot off and threw it toward the heated rocks. He didn't really want to sleep but he trusted Toothless to take care of him and keep an eye on Dagur.


	6. Chapter 6

Gaining Respect 6

Dagur was working on the ropes around his wrists. Hiccup certainly knew his knots. This was tight but not so much to cause problems with blood circulation or pain, just enough to keep him from breaking free. So when he was certain Hiccup had fallen asleep – that dragon of his treated him like some hatchling – he began gnawing at the knots. If he could just loosen one then he could use his teeth to pull them free and…

A low warning growl made him look up. Stupid dragon was watching him again. Narrowing his eyes he glared at it then with a huff he sat back and waited for the beast to relax before trying again. He'll get free, he just had to be patience, not his strongest skill but he could do so if need be. Of course Hiccup was not going to like him once he was free.

Actually he had to admit he was rather intrigued by what he was witnessing between Hiccup and his dragon. It was as if the creature understood him and they could easily talk to one another. He could barely make out Hiccup under the leathery wing of the Nightfury. All he could see for certain was mound of shaggy auburn hair but his face must have been pressed up against the dragon to keep warm. If Dagur had Baby he would be doing much the same – providing the Skrill didn't shock him in the process. Right now he was cold and starting to shiver again as the heat from the rocks faded away but he'd be hell bent to ask a dragon to heat him up – unless it was his Skrill and then he'd make an exception. And he was hungry. Good Thor he felt starved. When was this storm going to end? If only he could free his hands, then he could gut the blasted Nightfury and make Hiccup and himself a proper Viking dinner. Alas, Hiccup was far too attached to the beast to allow him close to it let alone near a weapon. He would have to incapacitate the boy and then do away with this Toothless. Hiccup may hate him for it but he would learn to appreciate what Dagur did for him. Unfortunately the ropes around his wrists were next to impossible to undo. Maybe he could convince Hiccup to release him. Perhaps after a short nap.

His back was killing him as was the back of his head and left thigh. He kept his mouth shut though, not wanting to voice such minute discomforts. Besides, he had been through worse. His body was littered with scars from his great battles against rival tribes and dragons alike. A little pain never killed anyone.

Toothless raised his head when he heard the Berserker shuffling around again. He held back a growl as he watched the boy settle next to the heating rocks, a small tremor raking his body. He was cold Toothless realized but was hesitant to do anything about it at first. _Let the bastard freeze to death_, he thought darkly as he tightened his wings around his rider. _At least then he could never hurt my boy._ But he knew Hiccup would never want that. Sometimes the child was far too kind hearted for his own good. And after a few moments of internal battle Toothless raised his head once more and shot a plasma blast at the rocks.

He bleated softly in laughter as Dagur jumped in surprise, his eyes wild as he looked from the heating stones to Toothless and then back before glaring and thumping back onto the ground mumbling to himself, "Stupid dragon."

Toothless shot him a glare as well, tempted to just send the next blast directly at him. Ungrateful brat.

"Go to sleep, Toothless," Hiccup murmured and he snuggled against his dragon.

Toothless pulled him a little closer and calmly groomed his hair, a technique he learned after Hiccup had lost his leg would calm his rider and help him sleep. Of course when Hiccup was awake he would complain about it and shoo him away but while he slept Toothless could get away with it. Gobber teased that Toothless often treated Hiccup like his own baby and Hiccup often did the same to him.

He waited until Hiccup was in a deep sleep and listened carefully to assure that Dagur was as well before carefully shifting Hiccup out from under him and closer to the heating rocks. The he got up, shook out his wings, frowning at the rip in one, and then went to check the weather. It was still no good for either of the boys to go out in but he had heard Hiccup's belly rumble just as his was. His rider needed to eat and if he didn't soon he'd get sick and that was one thing he never liked seeing. So folding his wings tight to his body he squeezed through the cave and went hunting. He was not going to allow his boy to get sick.

. . .

Harold was beside himself with worry as they hunkered down the ship and waited out the storm. Many of the men had gone down below to wait out the storm in the hold where provisions were being passed around and they tried to keep merriment amongst the worried group. Many were concerned about their young leader while others were more than happy the deranged teen was gone. Harold ignored them. He knew how difficult his nephew could be but he also knew Dagur had a good heart. He'd had a hard life and somewhere along the way things had messed with his mind. Something had changed him from the sweet fun loving boy into this deranged young man who rarely thought through his plans before acting upon them. The whole issue with the Outcasts could have been prevented had he just listened and spoke with Hiccup rather than going to Alvin. If only the boy would get over his fear of the Nightfury. If the beast or Hiccup wanted him dead he would have died back on Dragon Island rather than being disarmed. Somewhere in that rough and tough exterior his Dagur still existed and if he survived the frigid temperatures of the ocean and made it to shore and if Hiccup had as well perhaps the young Hooligan heir would be able to find the light that once existed inside Dagur. _If_ they survived and _if _they were together. With every minute that passed he was beginning to doubt their survival. He didn't want to be the one to break the news to Dagur's little sister. Cora had already lost both parents and could not withstand losing another person she loved so dearly. Nor did he want to be the one to break the news to Stoick the Vast.

"Sir?" Captain Vorg asked as he came up behind the older man.

He didn't turn away from the sea or crisp wind that bombarded him endlessly. "Yes, Captain?"

"The men are concerned so," Vorg reported as he came to stand next to Harold.

"We'll find him. Dagur's a strong swimmer. He'll be fine," he assured as he held his scope to his eye. "The boys probably found an island and shelter and we'll find them in the morning."

Vorg shook his head. "It's not Dagur they're concerned with at this moment. It's you, sir. You are Dagur's heir. If something happens to you the Berserkers will be lost."

Harold's hand tightened around the rail of the boat. "My nephew is not dead, Vorg. If I hear any more talk of such nonsense you won't have to worry about your swimming skills, you'll be keel-hauled, understood."

The captain's face paled. "Yes, sir. Sorry, sir." He smartly rushed off and let the other man be.

Sighing, Harold lowered his scope and leaned against the rail. Vorg was right, he was next in line to lead should anything happen to Dagur but it was not a position he wanted to ever take. Dagur had no children – hell he was still a child himself – no true heir to take his place. And if anything did happen to Harold then the Berserkers would fall into anarchy. They would battle each other for the title of chief and make it far too easy for tribes such as the Outcasts to pick them off.

Rubbing a hand over his brow he gave up for the night. He couldn't see anything through the blizzard anyway. Tightening the fur around his shoulders he headed down to the hold in hopes of warming up and maybe getting a little rest. "Wherever you are, Dagur, be safe," he whispered to the wind, hoping the gods would pass his pray to his beloved nephew and help keep him and Hiccup strong.

. . .

The first thing Hiccup noticed when he awoke was a proper fire between a circle of stones – what used to be the heating stones – and the wonderful warmth that came with it. Then that his warm cuddly dragon was gone. "Toothless?" he called looking about with wide worried eyes. Then he quickly turned to Dagur, fully expecting the older teen to have somehow escaped and attacked the dragon. Instead Dagur was sound asleep with his arms and legs still bound. Okay, that was odd. Then where did the wood come from and where was Toothless?

"Tooth?" he called worriedly as he got up and started toward the cave entrance. It was still storming outside but there were large puddles leading from the entrance inside and to the roaring fire. Why would Toothless go out in this weather? Even if he could fly without a rider he wouldn't get far in these winds. "TOOTHLESS!" he cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled as loudly as possible but the wind stole his words.

"Uh…What's going on?" Dagur grumbled as he rubbed at his eyes.

Hiccup hurried to the fire and pulled on his boot. "Toothless is missing. I've got to go find him. The blizzard is only getting worse and he could be lost."

"Like hell you're going out there," Dagur snapped as he sat right up.

"I'm not leaving him out there."

"I'm not letting you go out there."

Hiccup paused and stared at him. For several long seconds it was just a staring contest until Hiccup gave an annoyed sigh and tucked his pant leg into his boot. "I'd like to see you stop me," he stated with a roll of his eyes before heading for the entrance only to walk right into the very dragon that had been missing. "Toothless! What…where were you? What…whoa, bud…what do you have in your mouth? Oh no…no, no, no, no…"

He stumbled back as a wild boar was dropped at his feet, a little wet and slimy with drool but not eaten. The neck was obviously broken though from the way it was angled. Toothless gave him a big lopsided smile before nuzzling him.

"Okay…ew… Ah…thanks, Tooth. I guess you brought dinner. Did you get yourself any fish because it's going take me a while to clean and cook that?" he asked as he knelt to pick up the boar. "Ew… Okay, no offense but I need to get the drool off first." And since he had no water that meant rolling it around in the snow for a few minutes before dragging it back inside and to the fire. "Okay, I can do this. Can't be any harder than a chicken. Uhm…what did Dad say to do?"

"You've never gutted a boar before?" Dagur asked in astonishment. It was more for the fact the dragon had gone out and caught dinner more than the fact that Hiccup had no clue what he was doing.

Hiccup looked down hearted as he stared at the dead animal before him. "My Dad try teaching me but…I never really paid attention," he admitted shyly.

"Here," Dagur said shifting closer. Toothless growled at him but this time Dagur ignored the beast, his hunger getting the best of him. "You have to bleed it. Insert the knife here and cut straight down to its groin. That's right. Now if you're careful you can remove the hide and use it as a blanket. Would have been better if the dragon brought us a yak just for the fur but this will do for now."

Hiccup picked it up fast and in no time had the boar on a spit and the fur drying out. Dagur gave him a grin. He always knew Hiccup was smart but he never really thought he would be able to gut the boar more or less on his own. The smell of cooking meat made his mouth water and he was sure he could eat the whole thing by himself. He almost reprimanded Hiccup when he cut large chunks of meat and gave it to the Nightfury with an affectionate pat and thank you but he couldn't really grumble about it. The dragon had found them food when they most needed it so their feud for now was forgotten, especially once the boar was cooked and he and Hiccup were tearing into it. It was perhaps one of the best meals he had in a very long time. Better than fish or jerky. Almost like being at home. Hiccup wasn't that bad of a cook either.


	7. Chapter 7

Gaining Respect 7

Once both boys were well fed, the animosity between them ebbed a bit. They were both quiet for quite some time, each lost in their own thoughts. Toothless lay in his nest taking a well-deserved nap as Hiccup tried to figure a way to preserve the leftover meat so they would have to go hunting again for a while. He rummaged through his satchel for the container of salt that he hoped didn't get ruined by the ocean. He gave a triumphant laugh when he found it undamaged.

"Yes! Okay, at least if we're stuck here for a few days we can salt the meat to keep it for a while," he said with a big smile as he set the salt aside.

"We'll be gone in a few hours," Dagur reasoned as he checked his boots to see if they were dry enough yet. "My men will find us and then we'll be on our way to Berserker Island."

"You'll be on your way. Tooth and I are going back to Berk. My Dad's probably throwing a fit that we haven't made it home yet. He's probably already laying into Astrid and Fishlegs for not keeping an eye on me even though I'm supposed to be their leader. _Astrid, you know Hiccup is not the beefiest lad on the island. He's strong willed but small and gets distracted easily. It's your job to keep him out of trouble,_" he said imitating his father. He sighed. "He worries too much."

"If he knew half the stuff you get yourself in he would never let you out of the house," Dagur teased with a snort. "Your father always treated you like some fragile pottery. I can't believe he ever let you take warrior training."

Hiccup smirked. "I blame Gobber. Sometimes it's as if I have two dads. They like to tag team me when possible."

Dagur chuckled. "Which one would you say is more the mom, Stoick or Gobber?"

Hiccup laughed and shook his head. "Not saying."

"Stoick!" Dagur crowed with a huge smile. "I knew it!"

"No! Okay, okay…it's Gobber most of the time but I never said it."

They both laughed at that and Hiccup felt himself relaxing. They never talked like friends before, at least not since Hiccup was very little. He poked at the fire and debated if he should untie Dagur. The older boy didn't look very comfortable and was rubbing at one leg quite a bit. He was about to ask if Dagur was okay when the Berserker began talking again.

"What happened to my Skrill?" he asked, a small barely noticeable quiver in his voice.

Hiccup's smile faltered and he poked at the fire more. "We froze it. Skrill's are too dangerous, Dagur and you…it's for the best."

"Who are you to decide?" Dagur suddenly snapped, glaring at him. "What makes you the expert on what dragons can be trained and what ones can't."

"I'm not saying it couldn't be trained, I'm saying you would have used it as a weapon and turned it on the other tribes. My father told me about how the Berserkers used to use them. You think I was going to allow that? Maybe if you weren't intent on using it as a weapon and be a rider perhaps I would have helped you train it but you didn't ask me you threatened me and attacked my riders."

"You lied to me and made me a fool!"

"That wasn't my intent!"

They glared at each other for several long seconds before Hiccup closed his eyes and Dagur turned away.

"I never meant to lie," Hiccup said softly as he stared at the flames. "My Dad just didn't want your father to think we were creating a dragon army and I was trying to protect Toothless and the others. We just didn't want to go to war for a misunderstanding."

"Yeah well…I probably would have demanded you gave me your Nightfury as payment to not go to war," Dagur grumbled as he eyed said Nightfury. He sighed and rubbed his leg.

"And knowing my Dad he probably would have agreed until I put up a fit and then you two would have gone at it until Gobber got me out of the way."

Dagur snorted. "No, your dad would have given in to you and let you keep him and just go to war to keep you happy."

"You obviously don't know my Dad."

"No, you obviously don't know your dad as well as you think you do. I've seen the way he looks at you, even before this whole dragon business. He may have thought you weak and in need of looking after but he dotes on you at the same time, you just never noticed."

Hiccup raised a questioning brow as he looked at the older boy. "And you would?"

Dagur shrugged. "I see things when I visit. Your Dad always asked mine to bring you something from one of the other tribes to help you learn about them whether it be parchment or a weapon or even a stuff animal or sweet. He always requested something of the sort for you and my Dad always brought it. Wish my Dad asked for stuff like that for me and my sister. Of course your dad gave us stuff like that in exchange but my father never requested it."

"Oh…"

"Do you really think you could have trained my Skrill?" Dagur suddenly asked, sitting forward with interest.

Hiccup gave a nod. "I think so. I tried to reach out to it but she was pretty scared and disoriented when she awoke. I think if I could have calmed her down that maybe I could have. Of course then we would have needed to find her a rider but…"

"If I could revive her would you train you?"

"Ah…" Hiccup's jaw dropped at the question. He quickly closed his mouth and stared at the flames. "I don't know," he said honestly.

Dagur nodded, as if the younger boy's words answered his question. Hiccup wouldn't train the Skrill as long as he wanted it. His eyes narrowed slightly. The self-righteous brat would have kept it for himself and probably turned it on the Berserkers. Their own dragon!

"Of course, I have no idea how someone would ride it either. I mean it draws lightning! But harnessing it the way you did isn't right either. Whoever rode it would have to wear no metal whatsoever. I'm sure not sure. But Dad said if I could tame a Nightfury then I could tame just about anything so I suppose it's possible," Hiccup said, suddenly in his own world as he considered what he could have done to tame the Skrill. "The leather the rider wore would have to be thicker and cover them head to toe and saddle would have to be reinforced and couldn't stay on for more than a few hours without being badly scorched but I suppose it's possible."

Dagur leaned forward. "Really?"

Hiccup shrugged. "Why not? But the Skrill is frozen again and not easily accessible. I'm not even sure which iceberg it's in anymore."

"Oh," Dagur flopped back. He winced as his back hit the rock wall and his leg stung fiercely. "Hic, I'm not going to attack you or your…Toothless. You mind untying me?" he finally asked, needing to free his arms. "Besides I need to pee something bad."

The other boy flushed but didn't hesitate in cutting the ropes around the other's ankles.

"Wrists?" Dagur asked as he wiggled his fingers.

Hiccup shook his head. "I can't trust you not to go after Toothless."

"Hiccup," Dagur growled in annoyance but the Hooligan only shook his head. Annoyed, Dagur gave a huff before getting up and limping just outside the cave. He expected Hiccup to follow him to make sure he didn't escape and was almost tempted to run when he realized he could escape without a fight. Instead he fumbled with the ties to his trousers – gods, it was cold outside – opened them enough to do his business and then hurried back inside shivering. "Okay, it's officially too cold out," he announced as he sat next to Hiccup by the fire to warm up.

"Are you okay? You're limping," Hiccup asked as he eyed the blood stained trousers. The left side was far worse than the right but all centralized to the outer mid-thigh where there was a small tear he had not noticed before.

"Yeah, fine. Just a little cut," Dagur said, dismissing it. "Not as bad as a Nadder quill."

"I bet," Hiccup agreed but he still eyed it worriedly. "Do you want me to look at it?"

"I'm fine," Dagur repeated as he stretched his hands over the fire.

Hiccup let it go and focused on stoking the fire and keeping them both warm while Toothless got some rest. He salted the leftover meat and let it dry out over the former heating rocks. After all if they were stuck here for a few days it would be better to preserve as much food as possible. But he couldn't help glancing at Dagur's wound from time to time. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his belly and his feelings were rarely wrong.

. . .

Stoick stared out over the vast ocean. The storm was making it next to impossible to see but he knew one thing for certain; not one of the dragon riders had returned. He had worried parents coming to his door every other minute it would seem, looking for their children or wondering if someone else's had returned. Six teens were missing, including his own, and that was never a good sign. He only prayed that they were had found shelter before the storm had hit but now with the second day of the blizzard hitting the islands and his fear was only growing. The winds were too harsh to take Thornado, they would be thrown out of the sky, and no boat could survive such winds and high waves even with two dozen men rowing. Until the storm passed Berk was pretty much grounded.

"You know the kids are smart enough to find shelter," Sven said as he came up behind his chief with Gobber.

"Not even the twins are foolish enough to fly in this," Gobber added as he placed a comforting hand on Stoick's shoulder. "And Hiccup will keep them all together. You raised a bright boy, Stoick. You need to trust in him to protect the others."

"Aye, the lad's proving to be a good leader, Stoick. You needn't worry so," Sven agreed.

Stoick gave a curt nod and turned back to the other two men. "Yes, but I'll feel better once they're home safe. Odin knows what they may be facing out there. I just hope Dagur's not fool enough to have his armada out there. The boy's reckless and could inadvertently get himself and our children hurt."

Gobber only patted his shoulder. "Trust in Hiccup. He'll protect everyone, even Dagur if he must. Besides, it's not as if Alvin's a threat anymore, right?"

. . .

Alvin grinned as studied the beach his ship beached upon. The high cliffs sheltered him and his men from the raging wind and snow, leaving part of the beach clear of snow and unmistakable tracks of a Nightfury and young Hiccup visible in the wet sand. He followed the track until they met a rocky trail and snow where they vanished but it didn't matter. The wind was too fierce for them to simply fly away. They were on this island and no doubt so was Dagur. This was perfect, utterly perfect. He would finally get his revenge on Dagur and capture the Dragon Conqueror once and for all.


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay, a little note to readers who have been asking. Toothless is male, this is confirmed in the books just as Stormfly is confirmed female. I also double check with a friend who works on the series who also confirmed this so that debate is now out. How to discover a dragons gender? Well that's not in the books but I'm sure if you hang around for mating season you'll learn the hard way. Now that that's over with back to the fic.**

Gaining Respect 8

Dagur didn't feel so well. He felt flush and sick to his stomach and it had nothing to do with the food that much he knew for certain. The itch to his leg was worse and it was hard not to scratch at it without Hiccup giving him a worried frown and asking if he was alright and offering to check it for him. He tried ignoring the boy and laying on his side and ignoring it as he did any other injury during battle but this was somehow different. He didn't feel like himself at all.

"Dagur, you're not fine," Hiccup said. It had been nearly two days trapped in that cave with the storm raging outside. No one had found them and they were both sure help wasn't coming. They would have to rely on each other and Toothless until the weather ebbed and they could fly off the island. Dagur hated to admit it but that was their only way out.

Hiccup placed his small hand on the older boy's head. Dagur grabbed his wrist to shrug him away but to his surprise he didn't have the strength. It must have surprised Hiccup as well because he stared at the hands holding him in shock.

"You're definitely not fine. You're sweating and have a fever," Hiccup said wisely as he mopped up Dagur's forehead with his sleeve. He moved down Dagur's body to the cut on his leg. He had to rip the trousers to get a proper look and what he saw was not comforting. The gash wasn't big by any means, maybe an inch long if that and not deep. There was very little in way of a scab but it was a sickly purple-green that turned Hiccup's stomach. "Okay, this isn't good. Infection shouldn't have set in like this. Toothless carried you from the beach straight here. There's no way… Are you allergic to anything?"

"As if I would tell you," Dagur grumbled as he laid his head down on the blessedly cool ground. "You'd just use it against me. Spike my food or…or something." He yawned widely and closed his eyes.

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Why would I do that?"

"So I won't kill your stupid pet Nightfury."

"It might keep you from throwing knives at me," Hiccup joked but Dagur was already unconscious. Hiccup let out a sigh as he cut away more of Dagur's pant leg to study the wound more closely. This was definitely bad, very, very bad. Whatever this affection was, be it an allergic reaction or some sort of poison it was running through Dagur's blood stream and making him incredibly sick. If help didn't arrive soon he wasn't sure how much longer the Berserker could hold on.

Okay, basic field training, yeah that might have been the only class Gobber gave that he paid any real attention to. So what to do in cases of blood poisoning or allergic reaction? He ran his hands through his hair as he tried to think. Oh come one he knew this. Could he simply suck the poison out? No, it's been at least two days like this which meant it was running through Dagur's blood stream. He had to do something but he had no mead or alcohol of any sort to clean the wound with. Snow! He could use clean snow to clean the area to get a better look and then maybe salt the wound. He cringed at that. No, that would hurt too much. Think Hiccup, think!

He hurried to his satchel and began pulling out all his provisions, med kit and everything else he had and spread them out on the ground. He had to have something in all this mess. Fishlegs had bad allergies and so did Snotlout, not the same of course but he remembered Fishlegs getting a bad rash once and needed salve and Snotlout had an allergic reaction to a certain type of berry once and…there! It wasn't much, a little canteen, no larger than a coin, filled with Gothi's strongest brew meant to ease away the poisoning of any plant. Next to it was a little container of salve used to cover as an antiseptic. It wasn't the greatest stuff but at least it didn't sting half as bad as that whisky Trader Johann had given his father as a Snoggletog gift the previous winter after a visit to the main land. He grabbed them and some clean wrapping and hurried back to Dagur where he spread everything out before him. This was going to take some work.

"Dagur?" he asked as he wrapped an arm under the larger boy's head. "I need you to swallow this."

Dagur mumbled something unintelligible as Hiccup gently lifted his head just enough to pour some of the medicine in his mouth. Dagur jerked and nearly spite the whole contents out but Hiccup quickly covered his mouth with his other hand.

"Swallow," he ordered in his most commanding voice.

It took a moment and a lot of wincing but eventually Dagur did swallow. Afterwards he gave Hiccup the dirtiest look ever.

"Hey, I'm just trying to help," Hiccup reprimanded as he laid the older boy back down. "Hopefully this will help ease the fever. I'm going to put some directly on the wound. It's going to sting but I need to disinfect it before it gets worse. Hopefully we can clear this up before…" He stopped himself. He didn't want to tell Dagur that if the infection wasn't cleared up soon that they might have to take his leg. He swallowed deeply and took a deep calming breath. When he lost his leg he was falling through the air at high speed and barely remembered anything but a sharp pain as it was severed and then everything went black and he slipped into a coma for several days. He didn't want Dagur to be conscious for something like that. He didn't want to be the one to perform the operation.

He poured some of the brew on Dagur's leg, fearful that he may do more damage than good. He let at a relief breath when the gash began to bubble and puss came out. Okay, if he can clean that it was a start. He wiped the wound cleaned, squeezed puss out each time and continued the process until not more came out. While the rash didn't go away at least the wound was clean and that was a good start. He rubbed the salve over the rash frowning at the dark lines that marred Dagur's leg he prayed that there really was no blood poisoning and that he was worrying for nothing. If there was then there was nothing more he could do. He covered Dagur top half in the boar hide in hopes of keeping him from going into shock then called Toothless over.

"We need to keep him warm," he explained to the dragon as he bandaged Dagur's leg.

Toothless shock his large head.

Hiccup frowned at his friend. "Toothless…" he tried soothingly.

The dragon curled up in his nest and turned his head away and pointedly ignored him.

"Toothless," Hiccup snapped before his shoulders sagged. "Come on, bud. I need your help."

The dragon just made himself comfortable and made no move to get up.

"Tooth," Hiccup whined, hoping that maybe that would get his friend moving. "Okay, tell you what, when we get home I'll dig out a nice patch of dragon nip just for you. I'll…I'll give you two full baskets of fish. Three? Come one, Toothless, if Dagur dies we'll be blamed or more precisely _I'll_ be blamed and then our tribes will definitely go to war and my Dad will be pissed at me for the rest of my life which won't be very long if Dagur dies."

Toothless's head rose and for one hopefully minute it looked as if he might actually help Dagur. Instead he blew a blast of plasma at the fire pit, making it spark higher.

Hiccup's shoulders sagged and he folded his arms across his just dejectedly. "Fine, you can get the dragon nip yourself but it's a long walk from Berk to the field."

The dragon only snorted.

"I think you're girlfriend's upset," Dagur taunted, staring up at Hiccup with bleary eyes.

"He's not my girlfriend," Hiccup shot back but he couldn't help a small smile at seeing Dagur regain consciousness. "Besides, he's a he"

"How do you know? You check his underside?" the older boy asked, a teasing grin lifting his lips.

"No, but he likes rolling around in the snow and grass and…well I don't know. He responds to he and him when I talk about him so that makes him male."

Dagur gave a weak chuckle. "It's a dragon it responds to your voice not its gender."

"What would you know?"

"Surprisingly more than you think."

Hiccup gave a snort at that. "Get some rest."

"I would if you and your girlfriend would stop arguing. I'm fine. You should get some sleep too." Dagur gave a large yawn before rolling onto his side and away from Hiccup. "Perceive your strength and all that."

Hiccup nodded to more to himself than the Berserker and was all ready to just stoke the fire and lay somewhere close where he could keep an eye on the other boy when he noticed the line of scarring on Dagur's bare back. He hadn't noticed them before because Dagur never turned his back to him, as if afraid Hiccup might run him through. Now ugly scars obviously old by the way they were faded, marred the young Berserkers back like some awful twisted road map. Hiccup hesitantly raised his hand, hovering it over the scars, afraid to touch them or even ask but he had to know. There were three perfectly line claw marks that ran from his right shoulder to his left hip and then a small one at the waist as if a dragon had once tried to maul him. The markings were so familiar yet he couldn't place it. That nagging feeling returned and he just couldn't keep his mouth shut.

"How did this happen, Dagur?" he asked softly as he hesitantly traced one mark.

Dagur stiffened under him. His breath was shaky when he responded. "Go to sleep, Hiccup."

But Hiccup was never one to starve his curiosity even when he knew he should. "These are too old to be from Dragon Island. Was it an attack on your village? We found out why they were doing that –stealing our food – it was because of Red Death and…"

Dagur turned and glared at him. "GO. To. SLEEP."

Hiccup yanked his hand back and moved away from the obviously enraged Berserker. An angry Berserker was never a good Berserker especially when it's Dagur the Deranged. "I was just trying to help."

"Then untie me and give me my axe. Then you'll be a great help. No? Then shut up and sleep," Dagur snarled at the younger teen. When Toothless rose from his nest and gave a warning growl he snarled at the beast too. "One day I'll get the demon who did this to me," he promised them both before rolling over once more and trying to sleep, even as his body shook with an old rage that he could never fully fight off.

Toothless gave Hiccup and "I told you so" look as the young rider walked back to him. He looked unusually dejected as he sat down next to his best friend and leaned into him. With his sleeve he brushed back tears he hadn't realized were there and fought back the urge to break down. Why he let Dagur get to him he would never know. The guy had bullied him most of his life. There was no point trying to be friends or even helping him. As soon as the storm cleared he was taking Toothless, finding the Berserkers to let them know where their leader was and then going home. He'd had even of Dagur to fill him a life time.


	9. Chapter 9

Gaining Respect 9

The weather was finally clearing. Stoick didn't wait for it to worsen again, he grabbed provisions, harnessed Thornado and left word with Gobber that he was going after the kids. His worry for not only his son but the other children overrode every any thoughts of his duty as chief and brought out every fatherly instinct. Hiccup was in trouble, he knew that without a doubt.

"Come, old friend," he said as he mounted Thornado. "Let's go before the Odin changes his mind and sends us a worse storm."

They took flight and headed to the north and the direction Hiccup had said the Skrill was frozen.

. . .

Dagur's fever had gone down a bit but not enough to bring him out of the woods just yet. The rash and swelling around the wound had gone down and weren't so prominent. Hiccup waited until Dagur was in a deep sleep before treating them again, not wanting to get into another argument. He made sure everything was clean and taking care of then placed the salted meat close enough for Dagur to reach it without stretching too far as well as a canteen full of melted snow and then prepared to leave. The weather was calm enough now for him and Toothless to leave and he had to find the other riders and make sure they were okay. Last thing he needed was the twins getting lost in the storm or worse…Astrid, although she was more than capable of taking care of herself and the others.

He spared Dagur one last look, still curious about the claw marks on his back. He bit his lip, torn between leaving and trying again to get Dagur to open up to him. In the end he just couldn't take the possibility of more abuse from the other boy. He still put up with it from Snotlout from time to time and he simply didn't have the patience and heart for it anymore.

"Let's go home," he whispered to Toothless, petted his friend's head. While Toothless's wing was not fully mended the small tear didn't impede his ability to fly, or so Hiccup hoped. It was hard to mend the leather without the proper medicines. Hopefully Gobber could fix it. He wasn't sure how well Toothless would hold still if they had to stitch it.

"Hiccup?" Dagur murmured just as the Hooligan and his dragon near the entrance. "Where are you going?"

Hiccup paused but didn't turn back. "I'm going to find your armada and get you some help. I…won't be coming back." He squared his shoulders and continued forward.

"I'm sorry."

He froze and blinked. "What?"

"I'm sorry," Dagur repeated as he sat up. "I didn't mean to yell at you. There are just some things I wish you'd learn to back off on."

Hiccup looked at him then. He blinked again at the tousled redhead and the anxiety on his face. His shoulders sagged. "I was just trying to help."

"I know."

"Is there anyone in particular you want me to find?"

Dagur looked up, his eyes suddenly wild with fear as if he didn't want to be left alone. He looked away slightly ashamed. "Harold. He's my second in command. He'll know what to do."

Nodding, Hiccup went to leave but Dagur stopped him again.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," Hiccup responded with another small nod. He threw a small dagger to him, something to protective himself with if need then quickly ushered Toothless outside. He took a deep breath of fresh air and let himself relax. It was still cold but not nearly as bad as it was with the high winds of the past two days. He climbed onto Toothless's back and tested his tail fin. Miraculously everything worked just fine. "Let's go, bud. Let's test out that wing before we head off the island. Besides, the Berserkers can't be that far away."

Toothless hummed gently before opening his wings and launching himself into the cloudy sky up above.

. . .

Alvin's head shot up when he hear the familiar cry of a Nightfury and young boy's laughter. He signaled for his men to take cover under the trees. A pleased grin lit his face as he watched Hiccup and Toothless fly not far from where they hid. He was right, the boys were here but where was Dagur? It didn't matter, he'd find the brat soon enough. For now his Dragon Conqueror was within reach. He gestured for Savage to hand him a crossbow. Once in hand he loaded an arrow and aimed for the dragon's fail fin. He had learned a lot about Hiccup and his dragon over the years and knew their one sure weakness. With a dark chuckled he pulled the trigger.

. . .

The roar of a dragon made Harold jump in surprise. They had set sail less than an hour earlier and had been searching the nearby islands for any sign of Hiccup's Nightfury – where the dragon was the boys were sure to be close by – with now luck so when he heard the cry he instantly thought it to be the beast and his hope surged. To his surprise it wasn't a Nightfury and it wasn't on some far off island. He gave a long blink when he looked up to see four dragons and five teens flanking his ship.

"Dragon attack!" Captain Vorg yelled sending every Berserker to arms.

"Silence!" Harold barked as he strolled to the stern of his ship. He looked up to the blonde girl on the Deadly Nadder. She seemed to be the leader of the group. "Are you Hiccup's second?" he called up, keeping his voice even and trying to not appear threatening to any of the teens. The boy on the Zippleback seemed familiar but he dismissed him almost immediately.

The girl frowned at him but didn't move to attack. "Where's Hiccup?" he demanded.

"Hopefully with Dagur. We haven't found either of them or the dragon. I'm guessing you're in the same situation?"

She gave a nod, her pretty face all serious. Definitely a warrior-to-be. "We've flown over almost every island in the area but with that storm it's hard to find any clues. Do you have any idea where to look?" she asked hopefully.

Harold hesitated. The storm had disoriented him and his men but they were heading back to the sight of the battle. "No but I will search every island by foot if I must until I find the boys. I won't rest until they're safe."

Her eyes widened and a tiny smile lit her face. To Harold's surprise she sent a small Terrible Terror to him. "We'll help, but Hiccup and Toothless are coming home with us. Got it?"

The Terror flew to Harold, flew around him for a moment, sniffing his hair and face before coming to rest on his shoulder. Harold stared at him in surprise, not used to such a creature being domesticated in such a way. He looked at the girl questioningly.

"If you find them before us just send a message through Sharpshot. He'll find us. Wish he could have found Hiccup but…" She shrugged. "We'll send another Terror if we find them first."

Harold gave a nod. "Keep an eye out for Alvin and the Outcasts. They're after both boys. I don't know what Dagur wants with Hiccup but if he finds Dagur he'll kill him. I know he's not always all there but…we can't lose him."

She took a deep breath. "Alright. I might have to hit him with a bludgeon but…we'll help you find him as long as you help us find Hiccup."

"Agreed."

With a nod to the other riders she banked right and took off toward the nearest island.

"Why are we trusting these children?" Vorg asked as he came up behind Harold.

Harold placed a hand on the head of the Terror on his shoulder. "I rather entrust Dagur's life with them then the Outcasts any day," he said smoothly. "Take us back to the battle scene. We'll follow the currents to the nearest island. I'm almost certain that's where we'll find them."

. . .

Toothless crashed into the snow with a loud thud and cry. Hiccup just managed to scramble off his back and escaped being rolled on top of. He skipped out of the way as his dragon rolled on the wet snow before coming to a stop with a grunt. The black dragon's prosthetic tail fin was ruined, ripped to shreds. "How?" he whispered as he inspected it. He gave a groan and cursed Dagur. How the hell did that kid manage to accomplish this? He had only left him with a small hunting knife and sure Dagur had a great throwing arm but this was insane! "DAGUR!" he snapped, fully expecting the deranged Berserker to come running out of the bush and screaming life a banshee. When he didn't Hiccup raised a questioning brow. "Dagur?"

Toothless shook himself as he stood. He sniffed the air and narrowed his eyes before growling.

Hiccup placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, bud," he assured, looking out toward the bush. He tilted his head, trying to see into the darkness. A smile lit his face for a moment when he saw a familiar large shadow. "Dad?"

Toothless got low to the ground as he snarled, his frills straight back and wings posed to take flight at a moment's notice.

"Tooth…" Hiccup soothed as he took a step closer only to stop as the shadow fell away from the man to reveal Alvin the Treacherous and not his father. His eyes widened in surprise as the large man and his followers trudged toward them. "Toothless, run!" he yelled, turning to run as well. He knocked off his feet as a bola hit him and wrapped around his arms, pinning them to his sides. "RUN!" he yelled at his dragon but Toothless turned back around, leapt over him and snarled and pawed the ground, daring anyone to try to get to his boy.

Alvin only chuckled as he neared, the crossbow aimed between the dragon's eyes as his men moved around to tackle the beast. "You might want to call him off, boy," Alvin advised.

"No! Toothless, no! Back down, boy. It's okay. I'm okay," Hiccup said hurriedly, fearing for his friend's safety.

Toothless growled one last time before giving a whine and backing down.

"Go!" Hiccup said hurriedly as Savage dragged him to his feet. It took a moment but Toothless gave him one last look and then leapt over the Outcasts and took off back in the direction of the cave, as if reading his riders mind to take shelter where it was safe – although in Toothless's case if was just a place to regroup before launching his own attack on the Outcasts. Hiccup watched him go, fear and relief warring within him. He couldn't help the gasp that escaped him when Alvin yanked him away from Savage and glared down at him.

"Where's Dagur?" he snarled, spittle hitting Hiccup in the face.

Hiccup frowned and turned away from his foul breath. "Dead," he said quickly, not sure why he even said it.

Alvin's grip loosened in surprise. "Dead? What do you mean dead?"

Hiccup thought quickly. He had never expected to say such a thing but now that he had he would have to continue the lie. "He drowned. I buried him in the field."

"In that storm?" Alvin question disbelievingly.

"This morning when the storm settled. Toothless dug through the snow until we found soft ground. I didn't think the Berserkers would us in time to have a proper funeral." He swallowed the lump in his throat, feeling awful for saying such things but knowing they were all he could do to protect the other boy.

Alvin must have taken his discomfort as sorrow. He squatted down until he was eye level with the Hiccup and studied his face for a few minutes. "Show me. If you're telling the truth then we will honor his death like true Vikings. He'll be one less trouble maker for both of us."

Hiccup refused to meet his gaze, afraid his lie might be discovered. With luck he could buy Toothless enough time to formulate an attack. Nightfuries were unbelievably smart and knowing Toothless he wouldn't let the Outcasts get very far with him. So with a disgruntle sigh he lead Alvin on a merry treasure hunt for a grave that didn't exist. He paused when he noticed Toothless's claw marks gorging the ground where he had been able to pounce on the Outcast. His head tilted slightly and then his eyes widened. Oh no…


	10. Chapter 10

Gaining Respect 10

Dagur never felt so lost or lonely in his entire life. He leaned against the rock wall ignoring the back in his back from the arrow as well as the infection in his leg. Neither of them mattered. He screwed up again. Why was he always screwing up when it came to Hiccup? If it wasn't for that damned Nightfury… Harold was right, he had to get past the animal and just talk to him like he tried on Dragon Island. He sighed and hugged himself. He should go after Hiccup but the other boy was probably long gone by now. Why did that bother him so much?

He thumped his head against the rock wall. This wasn't the proper behavior of a Berserker chieftain. He was acting weak and idiotic just like his father used to when he over thought something. But Dagur wasn't his father, he wasn't weak. He was strong and fearless and…scared shitless of that bloody Nightfury. He never that he'd admit that, even to himself but he really was afraid of Toothless. He wanted it dead more than anything else in the world. Problem was Hiccup loved the beast with all his heart. They were bond together he realized with a shock. Hiccup could talk it and it understood him as if they spoke the same language. It was a mysterious thing. Dagur had dreamt of having the same connection with his Skrill but Hiccup had to destroy that dream.

What was wrong with him? He had been so close to having his dreams come true. He nearly had Hiccup as his brother, another young chieftain to stand by his side and form the future of Vikings everywhere. He nearly had the dragon of his people, a creature that would not be only a weapon but a part of him, the other half of his soul. If he could have just got past the fact that Stoick and Hiccup had lied to him and simply asked for a proper explanation and perhaps keep his cool then maybe things would have gone better. Hiccup would have probably helped him train the Skrill and they could have ruled the skies side by side. Funny how something so little could turn everything so wrong.

He pulled off the remained of his shirt and glanced at the lighting like tattoo that had scarred him after being electrocuted. It ran from his right foot right up to his left shoulder, crossing over his abdomen with little branches. It didn't hurt or burn like it did when he first awoke after the accident when Harold had found him and taken him back to his ship. But there were times he could almost swear he heard his Skrill whispering in the back of his mind. Not words really but those low hiss and growls he remembered when he had the beast harness and he had touched it the very first time. He had hoped to build a connection like Hiccup and the Nightfury had but now he would never know.

Closing his eyes he let out a long and low sigh. He couldn't stay here. He had to get up and move. Maybe he could start a signal fire and alert the armada to his whereabouts quicker than Hiccup could find them. He wanted off this island and home more than he ever thought possible. Maybe after that he could figure out what to do about Hiccup and his dragon. He really didn't want to go to war with Berk but unless he and Hiccup worked something out that might just be where things would lead.

. . .

Toothless kept low amongst the rocks as he followed the Outcasts and his rider. So far Alvin had not made any move to hurt the boy but Toothless knew it was only a matter of time. He kept a close eye on Hiccup's right hand that was at his side since his upper arms were still bond. They moved - they were always moving – in small symbolic movements, as if Hiccup knew Toothless was watching him. The Nightfury gave a lopsided smile as he moved back and bounded toward the South, away from the cave Dagur was hidden and toward a field he and his rider had seen while in the air. Once he got past the rocky hills and tree line he would have to move fast if he was to save Hiccup. Luckily he still had all Dagur's weapons stashed in his satchel. At least once he had Hiccup the boy would have some weapons to protect himself with. All he needed was an opening and for that he needed to wait for his boy.

. . .

"Where be this grave, boy?" Alvin demanded as they entered the field. He grabbed Hiccup's arm and gave him a shake.

Hiccup pulled back and gave him a disgruntle glare. "It's a big place and you shot me out of the sky. I'm still a little disoriented."

"You best not be lying, Hiccup or you'll be suffering for quite some time before training my dragons. I might just feed you to them," Alvin growled as he held the youth close.

"You obviously don't know what dragon like to eat. Human's not on the menu," Hiccup countered with a shake of his head and snide smile.

"You've never met my Whispering Death, boy."

"If he hasn't tried eating you then he sure as hell won't want me." Being feed to a hungry dragon was never one of Hiccup's worries at least not usually. Nonetheless he continued leading the Outcasts on the merry hunt for Dagur's supposed grave.

Alvin gave a snort then swung the shield on his back over his shoulder to inspect. "A lot of work went into this shield," he said off handedly. "It must have taken a lot of time and effort to mold the metal just so. I can use someone with such talent to craft my weapons."

Looking up Hiccup was surprised to see Alvin had his shield. He had thought he lost it in the ocean. He opened his mouth then closed it. "I won't train your dragons or build you weapons."

"Even shields such as this will improve my army."

"Oh, well if it's only shields then that's just fine by me," Hiccup said sarcastically hoping beyond hope Alvin hadn't figured out the trigger mechanism and discovered the shield was also a weapon.

"Don't be smart with me, boy. I have ways of making people do what I want," Alvin warned, grabbing Hiccup's hair and yanking his head back. "I'll enjoy watching you squirm while I give you a good flogging, something your father obviously should have done long ago to beat that sass out of you."

"Yeah, well I'm sure he'd just love to discuss discipline techniques with you," Hiccup shot back despite the pain in his skull.

Alvin gave a disgusted snarl and shoved him forward. "Needn't you mind about your father, boy. He and I will be having a long chat once I take back Berk."

"Berk was never yours to begin with and you'll take conquer it."

"We'll see. Stoick would do anything for the safety of his little runt. Once he knows I have you he'll surrender."

Hiccup gave a snort. "You obviously don't know him that well."

"You'd be surprised."

It was sheer luck when they stumbled upon a pile of rocks with only a thin dusting of snow not far from the rocky basin of a cliff where the blizzard had not been nearly as strong. He stared at it in surprise. Were there other people living here? "Huh…there, see? Just like I told you."

"Dig it up," Alvin ordered his men. Savage and half a dozen others rushed to the mound and looked it over.

"Sir, I don't think the boy did this," Savage called back.

Hiccup glanced away from the Outcasts toward the cliff above. He quickly hid his delight when a familiar black form appeared. With a few hand gestures he relayed his orders to Toothless.

Alvin shoved him to one of his warriors. "Hold on to him. If he tries anything take his other leg."

"Yes, sir," the warrior said holding Hiccup by both arms as his leader sauntered over to the grave site.

Hiccup glanced toward Toothless then closed his fist.

"This isn't a fresh grave," Alvin announced as he walked around the mound. "It's at least a decade old. What game are you pulling…" He jumped back as a plasma blast slammed into the ground between him and Hiccup.

The youth took the dragon's cue and stomped on the foot of the Outcast holding him with his prosthetic. The man yelped and let him go as he bounced on one foot and held the other. Toothless landed just in front of Alvin, slapped the large man aside with his tail before blasting another ball of plasma at them. When they scattered for cover he rushed to his rider and grabbed the robes with his teeth and tore them apart.

"Thanks, bud," Hiccup said as he climbed onto his saddle. He connected his prosthetic foot into the stirrup but without the tailfin they couldn't fly. "Okay, let's go."

Toothless swirled around and shot another blast at Alvin and his minions before charging them. Hiccup leaned over and grabbed his Gronkle shield from Alvin as they raced past. "Thank you, I'll be taking that back now," he said as he attached it to his arm and transformed it into its crossbow form. He pulled darts from his satchel and loaded the weapon then with careful aim, he fired at the Outcast as Toothless ran in the opposite direction. The men scattered, inadvertently giving Hiccup and Toothless the time they needed to escape. So much for leaving the island. They would have to take a stand but they needed a place they could defend and that meant returning to the cave and Dagur.

Hiccup changed the crossbow back to shield and slipped it over his back. "I think I know why Dagur has such a big issue with you, Toothless. I think one of your kin might have hurt him," he explained to the running dragon. "We'll have to show him you're not that Nightfury."

Toothless shook his massive head, his wings flaring as he leapt over boulders and small hills to get back to the cave. They went a roundabout route to keep the Outcasts off their trail. They needed to buy as much time as possible for either the other riders to find them or Dagur's armada. Right now Hiccup didn't care which as long as it wasn't Alvin.

. . .

"Find that boy!" Alvin bellowed at his men. "Find him and he'll take us to Dagur. No one is to harm either of them. If that dragon gets in the way kill it. MOVE!"

More afraid of their leader than the dragon the Outcasts gave chase but after only a minute or so of running the Hooligan heir and his mount were gone. There was no sight of them whatsoever. Alvin was in an uproar as he scaled the hill and looked over the valley between them and the next mountain formation. His large hands curled into fists and he called forth his best trackers.

"The beast can't fly. Search everywhere for any hint of where they would have gone. They can't leave this island and we won't leave until I have that boy and Dagur's head hanging from my belt," he sneered at the men, his eyes filled with bloodlust. He didn't know how Hiccup continued to escape him but he was sure once his dragon was put down the boy would be his and then all he would need was to break that wild spirit of his. One way or another Hiccup would be his and soon after so would all of Berk and Stoick the Vast would bow before him. Then he would take his old rival's head.


	11. Chapter 11

Gaining Respect 11

Dagur had just been getting up to stoke the fire when the black mass that was the Nightfury streaked into the cave with Hiccup on its back. The flurry of motion brought an old panic to the Berserker and he jumped back, his heart pounding and hand itching for a weapon. He slowly calmed when Hiccup slid off the beast's back, face slight flushed from the chill of the weather and his ornate shield on his back.

"Hiccup?" he asked, sure that the other boy would have been long gone by now.

"New plan. Outcasts are on the island searching for us. Alvin really has a hate on for you," Hiccup said as he began rummaging through his satchel. "Of course electrocuting him didn't put you in his good books."

"He tried to steal my Skrill," Dagur argued once he got his wits about him. "Be happy I didn't zap your butt."

"Not for lack of trying," Hiccup countered as he unloaded the weapons he had taken from Dagur while he was unconscious. "Toothless's tailfin is damaged. We can't fly out of here so we'll have to make our stand here. I would have said we head to the other side of the island and hope to find your armada but I don't trust the weather. We're on our own."

Dagur snatched up his crossbow and checked it for damage. "That's fine by me. I have a score to settle with Alvin."

"You and me both," agreed Hiccup. "Okay, Tooth, why you don't rest a bit while we figure out how to defend the entrance." His back tensed when Dagur began laughing that insane laugh of his. His hands tensed around his satchel, preparing for the worse. "Dagur…"

The older boy slapped his back in a brotherly gestured. "We take cover behind the rock face and start firing the moment they come in range. It'll be an epic battle, brother!"

"And the awkwardness returns," Hiccup grumbled as he rested his head against Toothless's shoulders but when Dagur tugged on his shoulder and led him outside to find defensive positions while Toothless followed, his eyes ever watchful for possible betrayal. "How are you feeling?" he finally asked as they settled behind some large rocks just below the opening to the cave.

"Like a Gronkle sat on me but I'll be fine," Dagur answered. "Thor, it's cold out."

"Yeah, well that's winter. It tends to be cold when you're not wearing a shirt," Hiccup pointed out, eyeing the claw marks scarring the older boy's back.

He sat next to Dagur as he watched him set up a defensive line. The older boy worked with such determination and foresight that it quickly took away some of that deranged mentality of his and Hiccup was surprised and rather impressed. When Dagur had his mind set on something he was all business and completely focused. He checked the sight of his crossbow and then took Hiccup's after telling it to switch it from shield to crossbow and checked it's sight as well and then made a few adjustments which almost put Hiccup on the defensive until he took a look and realized Dagur had been right in doing so. It must have been damaged either in the ocean or by Alvin. He placed it aside as his curiosity finally got the best of him. There were no Outcasts yet and if Dagur was going to lose his temper than it was best to get it over with now before everything went to hell.

"It was a Nightfury, wasn't it?" he blurted out before scooting back a bit and out of immediate striking range.

Dagur froze, his shoulders tense and back suddenly very straight. Then he sighed and it was as if Hiccup was staring at a completely different person. There was no more rage or anger or even a hint of craziness, just a sort of resign acceptance. "It wasn't _a_ Nightfury. It was _your_ Nightfury."

"What?" Hiccup gasped, thrown by the admission. He looked to Toothless but the dragon only stared at them blankly. He turned back to Dagur in utter confusion. "That's not possible; Toothless is almost always with me. He can't fly on his own. Are you sure it wasn't another Nightfury?"

Dagur glanced at him with a grim frown. "It was yours. Check under his left wing next to his shoulder blade. They will be a four or five inch scar from where I managed to stab him when I wrestled a sheep from him. I was lucky to only have my back clawed. I managed to escape his fire blast."

Hiccup didn't bother pointing out that Dagur had started calling Toothless "him" rather than "it" and instead crawled over to his friend and checked under his left wing. He ran his fingers over the scales directly next to where Toothless's wing joined his shoulder. Sure enough there was raised line and crack in the scales that he had never noticed before. His brows knotted as his mind raced to figure out when Toothless could have done such a thing. But his heart sank as realization hit him like a bludgeon. He crawled out from under the wing and knelt in front of his best friend, taking his large black head in both hands.

"Oh Tooth, you were pretty bad before we met, weren't you?" he reprimanded. "I thought you never stole sheep just distracted Vikings."

Dagur gave a snort. "Sure, he was good wittle dragon. Hiccup, stop babying your pet and lets…" He gave a grunt and closed his eyes as he held his chest. "Ow…" he murmured softly.

"Dagur?"

"I'm fine. Let's get this done with and then go back to the cave. Do you have any rope?" Dagur asked, brushing off the pain as nothing important. He knew he was still ill but he had been feeling better until after the whole conversation about what Toothless did to him three years ago. But while he felt physical ill he did feel a little better telling Hiccup what happened and his anger had dwindled somewhat. He brushed a hand through his tousled hair once again feeling feverish but not willing to let it get the best of him. A smaller shiver ran through him but he ignored it to the best of his abilities as Hiccup handed him a length of rope. He carefully attached it to the trigger of his crossbow while Hiccup quickly made a few makeshift catapults, loaded them and attached rope to them as well. They had just enough rope left after that to run up to the cave so that if the Outcast tried to sneak up while they were in the cave they could send them running and have enough time to get down and reload and take proper defensive positions.

When they were back inside the cave Dagur sat in front of the fire, his head spinning and feverish. His body ached and stomach churned but not for need of food. Even the thought of eating made him sick to his stomach. Still he fought not to show and discomfort as he threw wood into the fire.

"This isn't such a good idea," he grumbled, glaring at the flames but unwilling to extinguish the fire. He was too cold now. His entire body was raked with shivers now and he silently cursed himself for not wrapping himself in the boar fur. At least that would have given him a little protection against the cold.

"I know," Hiccup agreed rubbing his arms but he was in no way putting it out either.

"They'll fine us."

"Yep."

"It's at least twenty to one."

Hiccup shook his head. "More like twenty to three. Alvin didn't have that many men with him."

Dagur gave a large yawn, feeling oddly sleepy again even though he had slept a lot in the last two days. He rubbed his chest, right over the strange lightning mark.

"Is that from when you were…you know?" Hiccup asked rather cautiously. "I have one on my ankle from when I was hit by lightning."

"When were you hit by lightning?"

The younger boy shrugged. "Mildew was causing a ruckus and accusing Toothless or bringing down Thor's wrath on Berk and I was trying to prove his innocence and the spear I was holding got struck. Yeah, not a fun day. At least I'm not as bad as Snotlout."

Dagur smiled at him, a real genuine smile that made Hiccup's eyes widen slightly in awe. "I bet you were sparking for days."

Hiccup shrugged. "I don't know. I passed out and didn't wake up for a few days. I thought I might have lost my other leg. It was frightening."

The Berserker nodded and rubbed his chest. It was bugging him more than his leg. It had been off and on since being electrocuted by the Skrill. "Does it still hurt?"

"No but that was over a year ago. It was only a few weeks ago since you were hit." Hiccup didn't add that Snotlout was fully recovered. Maybe it was the infection mixing with his previous injury causing trouble. "I have a little bit more of Gothi's medicine and the salve. Maybe that will make you feel better."

Reluctantly Dagur nodded. "Sure."

He took the concoction but it didn't make him feel any better. He felt as weak as before, maybe worse. It was next to impossible to keep his eyes open so he lay back down. All he needed was a little nap. Maybe then he'd have his strength back in a few minutes. He would need every ounce of it to be able to protect Hiccup from the Outcasts. The small Hooligan wouldn't be able to fight them off all by himself.

"You're not fine," Hiccup said kneeling over him, his small hand going to Dagur's forehead again. "You're getting worse. The fever's back and you're breathing is irregular. If we don't get you help soon…" He left it hanging in the air, unable to say the words. Dagur was really sick, maybe even dying and if they didn't get him help soon it wouldn't his leg they worried about, Hiccup might actually have to bury him…or cremate him to keep Alvin from desecrating his body. Those were things he wasn't prepared to do. He was too young to proceed over someone's funeral and he sure as hell wasn't ready to do such a thing for someone only a few years older than him and was by all means like a pesky older brother. But he didn't know what to do to help. He wasn't sure of which herbs on this island could be used to remake the healing medicine of salve and he would have to dig through the snow to them which with the Outcasts undoubtedly looking for them he couldn't do without being spotted. But he couldn't sit here either and just wait for them and let Dagur die. He had to do something.

Dagur took Hiccup's hand from his forehead and pulled it to his chest as he had back on Dragon Island, placing it directly over his heart that seemed to be beating irregularly. He held it there for a moment or two before lifting it to inspect it as if it was the most amazing thing he had ever seen before. The pad of his thumb ran over the roughen skin of Hiccup's palm. "For such dainty little hands they're not quite as frail as I always thought," he murmured as he eyed them carefully. "The skin's thicker along the pads. I keep forgetting you're a blacksmith."

"Ah…yeah," Hiccup answered, feeling immensely awkward by the gentle touches.

"Not the hands of a warrior."

"No."

Dagur smiled up at him with a sudden mad gleam. "Good. They'll never see you coming." He pressed his dagger into Hiccup's hand. "They'll think you're weak and that leaves them wide open for you to attack and kill them all."

Hiccup wasn't so sure about that but he gave a gentle smile and accepted the dagger. "Try to get a little sleep. When you wake up we'll fight them together."

Dagur's smile grew as he closed his eyes. "Like true brothers."

"Like true brothers," Hiccup repeated, almost certain that he would never see those bright green eyes again. He patted Dagur's hand, hoping beyond hope that he would pull through. One way or another he had to fine those herbs and help Dagur whatever way he could. He turned to Toothless. "You're going to have to stay with him, bud. I know you have history but you two have to get over it. Dagur's gravely ill and I don't know how long he has."

At first Toothless was hesitant but then he lumbered over with a low warning growl. He nudged Dagur's head, as if to judge for himself whether or not the Berserker was really ill and then sniffed around for weapons before curling up next to him with a disgruntle bleat.

"I know, bud, but I'll make it up to you later. Besides, I think you owe him an apology anyway," Hiccup said, waving a finger at the ebony dragon before petting him. "I won't be long. Dagur's right about one thing. I'm small and there's less chance of them noticing me than a big black dragon. Take good care of him, Tooth."

Toothless made a low hum as he rested his head over the Berserker's middle, effectively pinning Dagur should he try anything as well as sharing his body heat. Hiccup gave him a bright smile as he removed the satchel from the saddle and threw the strap over one shoulder. Then he slipped the knife in his belt and another in his boot and his shield on his back. He was as well armed as he ever was going to get and still be able to walk. Okay, find the herbs, get them and hurried back without being seen by the Outcasts. Sure that wasn't going to be hard in the slightest. It wasn't as if they didn't have large Nightfury tracks to follow or anything. Yep, they were in so much trouble.

. . .

Miles over the ocean ice began to crack inside a huge iceberg as a cry of agony and pain rolled through the mind of an ancient dragon. A bond created rather hastily was awoken and like any dragon with a rider in need this being awoke to answer that call and no amount of ice could contain it.


	12. Chapter 12

Gaining Respect 12

Stoick had just spotted the Berserker ship when a black raced over him so swiftly for a moment he thought perhaps Hiccup had passed him without his notice except Hiccup and Toothless would never be so careless as to cause a slip stream powerful enough to knock Thornado and him asunder and nearly into the brink. He pulled on hard on Thornado's reins, hoping to bank quick enough to catch up but to his shock and disbelieving eyes he spotted a Skrill, lightning racing the length of its body as it sped off toward a distant island.

"Where the hell did that come from?" he wondered as he stroked his mount's head. He hesitated, tempted to follow the creature and almost positive that it would lead him to Hiccup. Apparently he wasn't the only one with that mindset. The Berserker ship was turning around.

. . .

"Come about!" yelled Harold as he hurried to keep the Skrill within sight. He knew the colors, the whole demeanor of the beast and with the extremely limited number of Skrills in the world – only one living one that he knew of – the chances were very good that this Skrill was the one Dagur had fallen so madly in love with and maybe, just maybe it would lead them to his nephew. "Row!" he ordered as he took the helm from Captain Vorg, not willing to lose the beast. "Put your backs into it."

He did a double take when Stoick the Vast sudden leapt onto the ship, startling the warriors and nearly making Harold lose his grip on the helm. He steadied the ship and made certain their course followed the Skrill as he waved the men back and to stow their blades.

"Where is my son?" Stoick demanded, his own hand on the hilt of his sword.

"It's good to see you, too," Harold answered, not shifting his gaze to meet Stoick's. "In case the kids didn't mention it yet, Hiccup's not with us. He's out there with Dagur and that Nightfury somewhere. At least I hope they're still together and made it to shore." He pulled on the rudder to alter course as the Skrill seemingly banked toward a snow covered island in the distance, one they had yet to check. "At least they better be together or Dagur and I will be having words," he muttered low enough that only Stoick heard him. "Call it a gut feeling but I think if we follow that creature we'll find them."

Stoick's eyes narrowed but he released his sword and followed the path of the Skrill. "If anyone can tame the beast it would be Hiccup. The blasted things are attracted to that boy."

Harold chuckled. "Apparently they're not the only ones."

Whistling, Stoick called Thornado to him before climbing onto the banister and leaping onto his mount. He gave Harold a perplexed look. "Then I'm going there. You best hope Dagur has done nothing to hurt my boy."

"Dagur better hope he did nothing to hurt that boy," Harold agreed under his breath. The last thing he wanted was a full blown war with the Hooligans. But he honestly doubted Dagur would ever truly hurt Hiccup. Scare him, yes. Annoy the hell out of him, definitely. But hurt him? No, Dagur looked upon Hiccup as a little brother, always had and most likely always would regardless of what happened between them.

. . .

The dragon riders scattered as a bolt of lightning shot between Snotlout and the twins. Snotlout looked over his shoulder with big eyes. "Oh no! Not again!" he screamed before pushing down on Hookfang's horns so that the dragon so that he would go toward the ocean below and hopefully discourage the Skrill from blasting anymore lightning at him.

The twins banked to the right to avoid the Skrill while Astrid and Fishlegs followed Snotlout toward the ocean. "Okay, that was close," Astrid breathed as the Skrill shot past them.

Snotlout held his chest. "Uh huh…wait, none of you saw that, right?"

"What, you scream like a little girl?" Astrid teased with a huge grin.

"Yeah…wait…" He shot her glare and grabbed both Hookfang's horns with a pout. "I did not scream like a girl."

"Yeah, you did," Tuffnut teased as he and Ruffnut flew Barf and Belch back to the group.

"Hey, isn't that the Skrill we froze in the iceberg a few weeks ago?" Ruffnut asked as she watched the Skrill near an island.

"Yeah?" Tuffnut asked with a raise brow.

"So how it get loose?"

Everyone turned to Fishlegs. The heavy set boy shrugged. "I have no clue. According to the Book of Dragons once frozen a Skrill should go into a dormant stage similar to hibernation and…"

"Obviously that's not the case," Stoick announced as he and Thornado joined the group. "Fishlegs, what are we dealing with?"

"Something that can BBQ us," Snotlout grumbled.

"It's definitely the Skrill, sir," Fishlegs answered, shooting Snotlout a glare. "And…"

"What happened? Where's Hiccup? How did he get separated from the lot of you?" Stoick demanded once he was certain it was indeed the Skrill they were dealing with.

"We battled the Berserkers and then Alvin showed up and it sort of became a three way. Hiccup sort of got caught up in it all when Dagur knocked him and Toothless out of the sky. After Alvin attacked it just went downhill. We've been searching for him since but that storm made it next to impossible," Astrid reported.

Stoick gave a curt nod. "The Berserkers seem to believe that wherever that Skrill is going that that is where we'll find Hiccup and Dagur."

"It's worth a shot," Astrid agreed. Stormfly pulled back to flank Thornado and the other riders moved to take position as well as they normally would Hiccup.

. . .

The familiar cry of a Skrill gave the Outcasts pause. Many pulled out their weapons and began aiming at the sky but with the speed the lightning dragon was travelling none had a chance to let one dart fly. Alvin watched the beast fly overhead then slow and look about, as if searching for something or someone before circling around the valley, not once lowering to the ground to sniff it or feast of wild animals running for cover. Then if beat its wings and darted toward a mountain range.

Alvin watched it carefully, his eyes narrowing as the dragon seemed to hover near the lower reaches of the mountain before landing and disappearing in what he could vaguely make out as a cave. "Well boys, I think we may have found our quarry and if not…well we may have ourselves a Skrill after all."

. . .

A gasp escaped Hiccup when he heard the Skrill's cry. He froze where he was knelt, momentarily thinking he had imagined it but when a large black shadow zipped over him he knew this wasn't a dream. He looked up, surprised to see the animal land maybe a thousand or so feet behind him and on the side of the mountain above. And then, to further his surprise, the Skrill tucked in its wings and slipped into the cave where Toothless and Dagur were waiting for him.

Hiccup dropped everything and sprinted toward the cave. He tripped once or twice on the slippery rocks but nonetheless made his way there as quickly as he could and dashed inside, knowing full well that it could be his death or that Toothless and Dagur could already be dead. He could hear Toothless's snarls and growls as well as the Skrill's but there were no blasts of lightning or fire and maybe that was a small blessing. He ran into the cave, fully expecting the worse only to have Toothless snatch him by the scuff of his shirt and place him in a corner that the dragon could defend.

"Toothless!" he reprimanded, firmly pushing his friend aside or least trying to. He stopped when he saw what was going on and his jaw fell open in a mix of shock and possible horror.

The Skrill was sniffing Dagur, moving all over the young chieftain's still body. It's breath ruffled Dagur's loose hair as its snot came disturbingly close to Dagur.

"No…" Hiccup gasped, going to push Toothless out of his way again only to be cut off by a wing and a warning growl, something Toothless never did to him. But when lightning suddenly raced through the cave – something that clearly should not be possible considering there was no storm outside – Hiccup pressed himself against the rock wall, unsure what to do or if he could do anything. His horror grew as the lightning was suddenly directed into Dagur causing his whole body to convulse. It happened a second time and then a third and then suddenly Dagur let out a gasped cry as his eyes flew open and his gaze met the Skrill's.

Hiccup was expecting another bolt of lightning but it seemed that the Skrill was done as it lowered its head to Dagur's and rubbed his chin over Dagur's forehead below moving down to bow before the young chief, it's head resting against the youth's chest. Dagur, still dazed by the shock, only stared at the large blue-black head before a silly little smile lit his face and he ran his fingers along the sleek head. "Baby?" he whispered, as if not believing what he was seeing. "You came back…you came back!"

If ever there was a truly childish moment in Dagur since becoming the chief of his tribe it was in that moment and Hiccup came to a very surprising realization. Dagur loved that Skrill as much as Hiccup loved Toothless. They shared a very special bond so profound that had come together in such a short amount of time that it nearly made Hiccup envious. It had taken quite some time for him and Toothless to become as close as they were and yet here Dagur was with a similar bond already intact. But he couldn't but smile when Dagur lifted himself up on his elbows to bump heads with the Skrill, as if that was their way of greeting one another. Then he stopped and rolled onto his belly to look at Hiccup still being sheltered by Toothless.

"Did I die?" he asked, his eyes wide and with sudden unspeakable fear.

Hiccup looked to Toothless but there was no way to know for sure. The Nightfury lowered his wings and let Hiccup out of the corner as he lay on the ground as if showing respect to the other dragon for saving Dagur's life. Hiccup petted him as he walked past. He raised his hands to show he meant to harm to the Skrill but it still gave him a little growl.

"Easy, Baby, easy," Dagur said in a surprisingly gentle voice as he shakily got to his feet. "'Sides, no one hurts Hiccup but me. The Nightfury on the other hand…"

"Dagur!" Hiccup snapped, unable to believe the older boy was still made at Toothless. Okay, so they had history and Toothless had hurt him but he had also spent over an hour trying to protect him and had been the one to bring them food the last few days.

That lunatic smile came to Dagur's face as he crossed the distance between them with a new life in his steps and cupped Hiccup's face. "Kidding! Don't get your skivvies in a bunch." Then he let go of Hiccup's face, giving the other boy only a moment to rub his cheeks before picking him up and giving him a big hug and twirl. "I can't believe it, Baby came back! Isn't that amazing? Doesn't that prove the dragon of my people belongs with me?"

Hiccup wasn't sure what to say but when he looked at the Skrill he knew it was true. For better or worse the dragon belonged with Dagur. "Yeah," he finally agreed when he was put down. Then he raised an eye brow and gave a teasing lopsided smile. "Baby? Seriously?

"What?"

"You're going to call it 'Baby'?"

"She."

"How do you know she's a she? You look under the scales?" Hiccup's smile grew as he threw back Dagur's earlier teasing.

"Well no…" Dagur frowned for a moment in irritation before rolling his eyes and grinning as well. "I just know."

"Ha! Don't ever question Toothless again."

"Fine, squirt. So what should I call her?"

Hiccup shrugged, still unbelievably happy that Dagur was alive and well…maybe even better than ever. He certainly seemed more lively since they washed up on the island's shore. "I really don't know. Perhaps a traditional Berserker name?"

Dagur nodded. "Yeah…yeah that'll be perfect."

"Come out with my Skrill, Dagur!" Alvin's voice echoed from somewhere outside the cave.

Both boys jumped and turned toward the cave while both dragons snarled in unison as if ready for a battle and that was exactly what they were going to give the Outcasts.


	13. Chapter 13

Gaining Respect 13

The clanging of axes against shields echoed throughout the cave, a call to battle that few Vikings could ignore. Hiccup looked toward the entrance with a mix of fear and anticipation, as if not certain to go out and face their enemy or search for another way out. Then Dagur clasped his wrist and gave him what Hiccup could only sum as a demented smile.

"We face them together," Dagur said as if taking command. "Alvin can't take us and on dragons. Plus we have the upper ground."

Hiccup nodded. They did have an advantage with the dragons and by being on the high ground, plus they already had weapons set up so… "What's your strategy?" he asked as he moved cautiously toward the entrance.

"Strategy?" Dagur asked with a laugh. "Ho ho ho…brother, the only strategy we need is to hit first and hit hard. Are the ropes still at the entrance?"

The heir inched toward the entrance, darted across the opening and to where the three lines or rope still remained. He glanced outside, keeping to the shadows and counted his lucky stars. Alvin and his Outcasts were still a safe distance away but Alvin was making his way up toward the rocky ledge were the traps were located. Hiccup yanked on the first line and activated the first catapult. A rock about the size of Dagur's fist, went sailing through the sky and beaned the man in the head. His helmet protected him of course but it was enough to make him stumble back in surprise and mild pain. Hiccup gave a little cheer.

"Yep, they're here and everything seems to be working," Hiccup called to Dagur with a silly grin. "Alvin's retreating and getting the others to regroup. If we're going to make our stand it better be now." He pulled his shield off his back and loaded it with a rock before moving slightly closer to the entrance. He got down on one knee, still shrouded in shadow and fired at Alvin again. This time he hit the man between the shoulder blades and winced at Alvin's roar of pain. "Oh…that's going to leave a mark."

"Having fun?" Dagur asked as he limped over, his leg still a bother. He scooped up his sword and battle axe as he joined Hiccup.

"Maybe…just a little," Hiccup admitted as he reloaded. "Tooth, you ready?"

With a growl and shake of his wings Toothless sauntered over to them followed closer by the Skrill. Hiccup gave Dagur a knowing smile. The older boy may not be very good at strategy but Hiccup had been fighting Alvin long enough to know that he didn't like surprises or dragons and he definitely wasn't going to like a Nightfury and Skrill combo fighting him. He gave another yank on the ropes, this time firing the second catapult and the crossbow below before firing his own. The three shots made the Outcasts scramble for cover while the two youths dashed outside and down to the ledge below where they still had coverage. The two dragons followed closely behind and got low to the ground next to the boys. The boys quickly reloaded their weapons and reset them while the Outcasts were distracted.

"Let's send them running," Dagur said as he disconnected his crossbow from the ropes and loaded a bent arrow into it.

"I think rocks might be better," Hiccup pointed out, noting that in their rush most of the arrows had been damaged either from their fall off the boat, the ocean or something along the way to the cave.

"Meh," Dagur answered with a shrug. "Let's just see how long it takes before they beat a hasty retreat."

Hiccup gave a nod. "Toothless, rapid fire," he instructed, pointing toward Alvin and his followers. The Nightfury lifted his mighty head and glared over the rocks at the marauders before firing three shots at them while Hiccup fired his crossbow and then one of the catapults and then the second as he hurriedly reloaded the previous two.

"Stormstriker, lightning blast!" Dagur ordered, twisting to wave his arm and point at the Outcasts.

The Skrill's wings flared and there was a sudden rumble from above as storm clouds once more rolled in. Hiccup scooted away from the creature and grabbed at Toothless's harness in hopes of making his friends stay back as well. Lightning skirted from the heavens to wrap around the Skrill before a concentrated bolt lashed out at the Outcasts, followed by and second and third and by the fourth Toothless was firing plasma at the Outcasts as well until the two attacks mingled into one huge blast that sent all the Outcasts flying off their feet and fleeing for the safety of the woods.

Dagur was yelling triumphantly, howling like some demented wolf at the moon as he fired his crossbow at the fleeing men. His was so loud that it was almost impossible to hear the profanities Alvin was hollering at them. It didn't matter though as a group of dragons circled the mountain and began firing upon the Outcasts as well. Alvin had lost and rather he wanted to admit it or hot he and his men could not take on a flock or dragons let alone two striker class dragons. Once the Outcasts were out of range Hiccup jumped up and gave his own triumphant cry and half a second later found himself again in Dagur's arms being twirled about as the older boy laughed and crowed their victory – apparently the sudden backup didn't count, the victory was solely theirs and their mounts.

Hiccup gave a small yelp and giggle when he was suddenly zapped just from Dagur's touched and he stumbled slightly when he was put back down, his whole body having felt the shock and making his hair stand on end. He quickly ran his hands through it to try and straighten his hair as the riders landed and Astrid and his father hurriedly dismounted.

"Your hair's still sparking," he teased Dagur, noticing small arks of lightning occasionally jumping from one strain of hair to another, no doubt caused when the Skrill restarted his heart.

Dagur ran a hand through his hair but only grinned, as if it was the coolest thing ever. "It's just her mark. Now I have two." He gestured to his chest and abdomen and the pale purplish-blue lightning markings.

Shaking his head Hiccup wasn't sure what else to say but did laugh when he was drawn into another tight hug and a small knuggy. "Dagur!" he laughed, pushing free. "Of all the…you know that hurts, right?"

"Not too much for the mighty Dragon Conqueror," Dagur teased, letting him go.

"Dragon Trainer," Hiccup corrected, having to try and straighten his hair again. "You're such a pest."

"It's the job of the big brother," Dagur countered.

Hiccup poked his chest. "You do know we're not really brothers, right?"

Dagur shrugged. "Maybe not by blood but who cares?"

The younger boy shook his head but his smile never faded. "You're the weirdest kid I know next to the twins."

"Aw…I don't get first place on the weirdness scale?"

That had Hiccup laughing. "Okay, fine…you _are_ the weirdest and craziest kid I know."

"That's better," Dagur laughed, bopping the boy on the head.

"Hey…what….why would you do that?" Hiccup demanded, covering his head. He gave the Berserker a playful glare just as his father and the other riders finished scaling up the hill. That glare turned into a huge smile as he turned to face his father who was eyeing Dagur as if he was something to be killed. "Dad!" he said cheerfully, effectively turning Stoick's attention to him and away from any homicidal thoughts he may have for the Berserkers chieftain.

"Hiccup," he breathed in relief as he opened his arms to his son.

Hiccup didn't hesitate, he ran the few feet separating them and threw himself into his father's arms. "Dad, I'm so sorry I couldn't make it home with the others. I know you must have been worried and…"

"Easy, son. It's alright. That storm was very bad, none of your friends made it back," Stoick said as he held Hiccup at arm's length and studied his dirty face and mused hair and torn clothing. He was a mess.

"We searched everywhere for you," explained Astrid as she came up next to Stoick and looked him over as well. "We searched until the storm hit and then found shelter and went back out as soon as it cleared. "None of us have been home in almost three days."

Hiccup stared at her in shock. "None of you went back to Berk? But why? That's crazy! You guys could have been killed."

"Yeah well we weren't about to lose you," Fishlegs argued, puffing for breath as he stood at Stoick's other side. "That's what friends do. We look out for each other."

"Yeah, you're our bro, bro," Tuffnut added, squeezing his way past Fishlegs to stand next to Hiccup. He quickly back peddled when he came face to face with a rather confused Dagur and a way too large crossbow in hand and battle axe strapped to the small of his back. "Oh ah…yeah…" he mumbled quickly.

Dagur's eyes narrowed as he looked at the familiar blonde. "Don't I know you?"

"Uhm…no…" Tuffnut squeaked before hiding behind his sister.

Ruffnut rolled her eyes and looked at Hiccup. "Look, we might not always act like it but we're your friends, Hiccup. We care about you."

"Yeah, and who would I pick on if you're gone," Snotlout asked as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Besides, I've only got one cousin and unless your dad plans on remarrying any time in the near future, there's no one I can replace you with so yeah…we're not letting anything bad happen to you."

Hiccup was flabbergasted. He had no clue how to respond to any of that. Usually it was Astrid and Fishlegs watching out for him but knowing that all the teens cared for him enough to refuse to go back to Berk and simply search for him even through a storm, regardless of possible punishment by their parents and their chief, he was speechless. He gave a watery smile that ended up getting him a punch to the shoulder from Astrid.

"If you start crying I'm going to kick your ass," she warned but her smile was playful and promised that she would take it easy on him.

Dagur scoffed. "And you think _I'm_ the weirdest person you know?" he asked Hiccup as he draped an arm around his shoulders. "I think this lot takes the cake. And that one," He waved his crossbow at Tuffnut who was still trying to hide behind Ruffnut. "I swear I know him."

"Ah…I can explain that," Hiccup said quickly. "You see…"

"Later, Hiccup," Stoick said sternly as he moved past the teens to study the Skrill that was standing next to Toothless. "We must deal with the Skrill first. I thought you told me this beast was on ice. Is this another one?"

Both Hiccup and Dagur dashed to get between Stoick and Stormstrike. "Ah…well you see, Dad. It is the same Skrill but…well you wouldn't believe it. Dagur nearly died or did die, I'm not quite sure, I was gather herbs at the time, and it just suddenly showed up and it save him! Dad, it saved him! It hit him with concentrated blasts of lightning that should have killed a person but it somehow brought him back. I was amazing! Can you imagine what that can do to help our people? If the Skrill could restart a heart just think about the lives we can save?"

Stoick palmed his face. "Son, when Odin calls us home it's for a reason, not for you or anyone else to stop."

"You saved me from drowning when I tried to save Toothless and then save him, would Odin frown upon that?" Hiccup tried to counter.

"Yes, but you weren't already dead. Your heart still beat."

"Okay, sure, if you want to get technical but my point is the Skrill came _because_ Dagur needed him, because he was in distress and dying. They formed a bond far deeper than any I've seen before. We can't freeze it again."

"Son…"

"Stoick, please…" Dagur said, his voice sounding so calm and pleading that it made Stoick the Vast take notice and look at him. Dagur reached up and placed at hand on the Skrill's head in a comforting manner. "I swear to you, Stormstrike won't ever be used as a weapon against Berk. That whole thing with the Outcasts was just so I could capture her. I thought Hiccup would take her from me and turn her against our people but I know better now. Your dragons aren't an army they're a part of you like she is to me."

Taken aback Stoick just stared at the young man. "I have your word?"

"Yes. And I'll sign whatever treaty you and Hiccup feel necessary."

Still rather suspicious Stoick gave a curt nod. "Alright." He took a step back and turned to the other riders. "The Berserkers should have beached by now. Mount your dragons and…"

"Toothless can't fly," Hiccup announced rather embarrassed. "Alvin shot out his tailfin."

A long sigh escaped Stoick. This happened far too often for his liking. They had to find a better material for the Nightfury's tailfin. "Alright, Thornado and I will walk with you. And don't think for a moment I'm letting you out of my sight, Hiccup," he said, pointing a meaty finger at his son and giving it a little wave toward Dagur.

Hiccup gave him the biggest and brightest smile ever.

Dagur on the other hand was still eyeing Tuffnut. "I know you," he said again, his eyes narrowed suspiciously as he neared the twins.

Ruffnut yanked her brother out from behind her and gave him a little shove toward the Berserker chief. "Nice knowing you," she sang with a sick grin.

Tuffnut stumbled before glaring at her. "I'll haunt you," he threatened before giving an epp and straightening up.

Hiccup hurriedly got between the two. "Ah…Dagur this it Tuffnut. Tuffnut, Dagur. Please don't kill him. His parents already have me on the bad influence list. Surprisingly next to Snotlout."

"Hey!" Snotlout yelled to which Hiccup only shrugged.

"Tuffnut? I thought your name was Buffnut?" Dagur asked, bouncing the crossbow against his free hand.

"Buffnut?" Tuffnut asked, eyes wide. "You must mean my cousin, Berserker Buffnut. Yeah, people get us confused all the time. I get called BB all the time. You know the good looks run on my mother's side and…"

Dagur only grinned. "Sing and maybe I won't take your legs," he said unsheathing his axe.

Tuffnut's face paled but he instantly began singing the Hooligan song he had made up when spying on the Berserkers and Outcasts weeks earlier.

Dagur shot Hiccup a grin as he shoved the axe back into its sheath and threw the crossbow's strap over his shoulder. Then he threw an arm around Hiccup's shoulders. "You need better spies," he laughed as Tuffnut continued to sing. "This one breaks far too fast."

Hiccup rolled his eyes but couldn't help agreeing. "At least the Outcasts like him."

Everyone stared at Tuffnut in surprise and confusion as he continued singing at the top of his lungs. "Hooligans won't you come out tonight…"

Hiccup and Dagur almost fell over laughing.


	14. Chapter 14

Gaining Respect 14

The one thing that annoyed Astrid more than anything else was when Hiccup got into "New Dragon" mode. Sure it was cute seeing him all excited and bouncing about, especially now that the Skrill allowed him near it – her – but it was as if the rest of the world faded away around him. Mix Fishlegs into the mix and there was no way to get his attention back but now with Dagur thrown in the mix and Astrid would lucky if she ever got Hiccup's attention again.

The entire group had decided to walk or in Tuffnut and Ruffnut's case fly low and safely out of Dagur's reach while Tuffnut continued singing no matter how many times Stoick told him to shut up. Snotlout rolled his eyes and stayed close to his uncle, not wanting to get caught up in the two nerds and Berserker's excitement. He could never keep up with them.

Even though they and the majority of the dragons and riders were walking, couldn't contain his enthusiasm as he walked around the Skrill, noting the way it walked almost exactly like a Monstrous Nightmare and trying to guess its total measurement while Fishlegs chattered away on the other side as he tried measuring the creature's length. All the while Dagur was darting around Hiccup asking questions and relaying his people's knowledge with the same amount of excitement as the other two. Hiccup would giggle and jot this new information in his new journal – thanks to Fishlegs keeping an extra with him at all times. He sketched quickly, his focus completely on Stormstrike to the point that he would trip now and then and Dagur, Stoick or Astrid would scramble to catch him, seeing the tumble coming long before the young heir.

"You are too into this," Dagur teased even as he looked over Hiccup's shoulder to see what he had written or drawn and grinning like a child on Snoggletog. They were nearing the beach now and the Berserker ship wasn't far from land. Dagur was anxious to see his uncle and show him that the Skrill was indeed his and had come back to him. There was no more proof they were bonded then by the way Stormstrike had rushed to save his life.

"Wait until I start designing her saddle," Hiccup responded with a goofy grin. "I can't believe how calm she is." He reached out carefully and ran his hand over her head. She didn't spark or growl which earned a pet from Fishlegs as well.

Dagur only grinned and stole the journal from Hiccup to flip through it. In such a short time Hiccup had already gathered a lot of information. "Not bad, Hic. You could almost be an art-BAH!" He did a double take as a snowball hit him in the back of the head. His eyes narrowed as he turned to face whoever dared to throw anything at him. "Did you just hit me with a snowball?"

Everyone, including Stoick, stared at Hiccup wide eyed as he formed another snowball. He gave Dagur a cheeky grin, as if daring him to do something about it. Snotlout smartly stepped out of the line of fire and behind Hookfang while the twins got higher in the air. Tuffnut had stopped singing in shock of seeing Hiccup strike out first at Dagur. Astrid just seemed at little at awe while Fishlegs couldn't decide between hiding behind the Skrill or making a run for Meatlug.

Hiccup only grinned smugly as he threw a new snowball up and down in one hand. "You going to give it back?" he asked, his other hand out for his journal.

"Nope," Dagur teased as he closed the book. "Think you can take him, Hic?"

"Oh I'm pretty sure I can," Hiccup teased. "We're on even footing right now." He gestured to Dagur's injured leg.

"Hiccup," Stoick warned, moving to intervene.

Dagur tucked the journal into the back of his pants before kneeling down to scoop up some snow. Before he could stand and form a perfect ball though he was hit in the face by another snowball and Hiccup was laughing at him. He gave a low growl as he wiped the snow away and glared at the smaller boy.

"Three days stuck in a cave with you…this is therapy!" the Hooligan laughed, nearly doubling over.

"Therapy hey? You and Toothless weren't exactly a picnic to be with either," Dagur shot back as he threw his snowball at Hiccup.

"Hiccup, that's enough, son. I thought you two worked through…umph!"

The was a round of gasps as Hiccup ducked out of Dagur's way and accidently left his father open to the approaching snowball when Stoick went to grab his arm. Now the mighty chieftain of the Hooligan tribe was wiping snow off his face and beard and giving a none too friendly glare at the young Berserker who had thrown it.

"Oops…" Dagur breathed as he stepped back.

"Dagur," Stoick began with a low warning growl.

"Oh no…" Fishlegs whispered, backing toward his dragon.

"Ah…Dad, it's my fault," Hiccup began only to receive a snowball in the face from his father and a hearty laugh.

"FREE FOR ALL!" yelled Snotlout as he began belting snowballs in every direction.

It a matter of seconds all the teens were grabbing for snow and whipping it at each other. Snotlout got Fishlegs and Astrid while Astrid got Hiccup twice and Hiccup had to defend himself from both her and Dagur who was laughing like a madman along with Tuffnut who decided to conquer his fear and join in. Ruffnut did as well and Stoick was forced to duck and dive to avoid being hit but he threw almost as many snowballs and got hit by easily just as many. And of course the dragons had to get into it and try throwing snow about or just rolling around in it like Toothless. Stoick couldn't remember the last time he laughed so hard or heard Dagur laugh at all. Even Hiccup was laughing uncontrollably as he turned his focus to Toothless who was tail whipping snow at him and Dagur.

"Okay, okay!" Hiccup laughed as he tried escaping the barrage of snow coming at him from all directions, Astrid, Toothless and Stormfly teaming up on him only for Dagur to get in a few lucky shots as well. "I give! Dagur can keep the book!"

He rolled over in the snow until he was laying on his belly much as the other were, many laughing and absently throwing snowballs back and forth. By the time they were done the Berserkers had already beached and departed their ship, Harold leading them. Hiccup, froze where he was, almost expecting them to attack but they seemed more focused on Dagur or at least Harold was. The man walked bristly to Dagur who stared back at the man with surprised wide eyes before schooling his face and taking on the appearance of the fierce Berserker chief he was.

"What took you so long?" he snapped at his men, his voice crisp and commanding as he glared at them. "You best have a good excuse for making me wait. I'm not a man known for my patience, Commander."

"Of course not, sir," Harold answered as he neared, his gaze just as steady as his nephew's while the men behind him were already shifting about nervously. But he caught the glimpse of mischief in the youth's eyes and knew that the anger he was displaying was only a cover. He looked over his shoulder at the men following him. "Ready the ship and stoke the woodstove. Vorg, have some furs brought out."

The ship's captain and fellow sailors hurried back to the ship as ordered while Harold continued on to his nephew. The moment the other Berserkers' backs were turned Dagur's mask fell and he gave his uncle a gentle smile before stepping forward and letting the older man hug him. "I'm sorry, uncle," he murmured, pressing his cheek against Harold's shoulder.

"Sh…Dagur, it's not your fault," Harold soothed, combing his fingers through tangled and filthy red hair. "But you ever pull a stunt like this again I swear I'll strip you chieftain hood and flog you myself."

Dagur only chuckled and hugged him back. "I missed you do. Besides, I'd take your legs before you could flog me."

"Don't get cocky, boy." But despite the reprimand he pressed his lips to the boy's temple. "Just be happy your aunt doesn't know about this. She'd fillet you before either of us have a chance to stop her."

Dagur only nodded and laughed before pulling away and half dragging Harold to see Stormstrike. Stoick joined them by the dragon to discuss the meaning of having such a dangerous dragon and plan out a new peace treaty.

Hiccup let them be, not really wanting to get dragged into the political side of things just yet. It had been a tiring few days and all he wanted was to relax and have a little fun even if it was cold outside. Still, he was happy just leaning against Toothless.

At least until Astrid punched him in the arm. "Hey! Ow…what was that for?" he demanded as he shot her a glare and rubbed his arm.

"That's for making me worry," she said as she sat in the snow next to him. Then she leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss. "And that's for being a friend to Dagur. I never thought I'd ever see him act so…normal."

"Yeah, well I think he just needed someone to believe in him and be a friend…and brother," he answered, still rubbing his arm. He looked at her, watching the way she smiled at Dagur and the way he nuzzled Stormstrike. "Maybe if I hadn't screwed things up on Dragon Island we could have helped him find Stormstrike sooner. I think they really are meant to be together and with training they'll be a formable pair."

"You sure you want that?"

"No, but the Berserkers are our allies and we have to trust Dagur to remember we're his friends."

"He still should be caged," Astrid argued.

Hiccup shook his head. "No, I think he's been caged too long. I think what we're seeing is the real Dagur, the one I remember from when I was real young."

"I don't remember him being anything but crazy."

But Hiccup did. He remembered a time so very long ago he once thought it only a dream or wishful thinking. But he remembered when he was very young and Dagur would play with him much as he did just a short time ago, with snowballs or wooden figures their fathers had made him. Of warm hugs and bright smiles and jokes Hiccup never understood. And the way Dagur would protect him – even after he went a little loopy - was all the actions of an older sibling. No wonder he thought of them as brothers. Dagur always acting the role of a pesky older brother. But it was a long time ago, nearly a life ago. Actually a lot of the bad things that used to happen to him, the way his friends once bullied him for being different seemed like a life time ago. Yet none of it mattered anymore. He had friends, he had an older brother – sort of – and a girl he adored.

He smiled warmly at Astrid, thankful for everything that had come to his life all thanks to the dragon they were leaning against.

"What?" Astrid asked when he simply stared at her.

"I'm just wondering how hard you're going to bunch me," he answered, his voice soft and just above a whisper.

"Why would I…" She fell silent as he pushed his lips against her. It was a chastised kiss, just the pressed of lips but it was the first Hiccup initiated and made it all the more special. She leaned into it and kissed him back.

"Wait, Hiccup has a girlfriend?" Dagur yelled from where he was in astonishment. "This is seriously not fair! First he rides a Nightfury, defeats Red Death and gets a girlfriend? Why am I the last to be informed?"

Hiccup and Astrid jumped apart and tried to look innocent but Hiccup couldn't help a nervous giggle as he shrugged. "You asked about dragons not whether or not I was dating," he pointed out.

That only led into friendly taunting and teasing before Dagur was wrapped in a fur by his uncle and had ordered his men to find some leather or canvas so Hiccup can either patch the tailfin or build a new one, refusing to leave the island until he knew Hiccup and Toothless could make the flight home. After that the two tribes only grew closer as Hiccup and Dagur took turns visiting each other, especially once Dagur had a suitable saddle that kept him from being severely shocked whenever Stormstrike called upon lightning – although some of his wardrobe had to be altered…he received one of Hiccup's first flight suit designs. They truly became like brothers and if a rival tribe attacked one the other was sure to stand by their side. Of course that didn't mean Dagur didn't tease or pick on Hiccup from time to time but Hiccup had learned how to hold his own and could give as good as he got but that would be a story for another time.

fin


End file.
